Pochettino closes in on Manchester United job with Glazer ties smoothing the path

Mauricio Pochettino is on the verge of becoming Manchester United manager, with the club’s board meeting in Monaco on Wednesday to finalise a decision on Michael Carrick’s future and clear the way for the Argentine’s appointment.

The move carries an intriguing backstory. Ken Griffin, the Florida-based billionaire and founder of hedge fund Citadel, was one of the financial forces behind Pochettino’s appointment as United States national team coach, describing his contribution as a “philanthropic leadership gift” on his website. Griffin also helped fund the contract extension that kept Pochettino with the USA after the World Cup, making him one of the best-paid coaches in international football.

The significance of that relationship lies in Griffin’s ties to the Glazer family. When the Glazers completed their leveraged buyout of Manchester United in 2005, they borrowed money through three New York-based hedge funds — Och-Ziff Capital Management, Perry Capital, and Citadel. Griffin founded the latter. It would not be a surprise, the reporting suggests, if Griffin had recommended Pochettino to the Glazers as a strong candidate to replace Carrick.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and United’s board members attended the Monaco meeting to review the season and make a final call, though the groundwork for Pochettino’s arrival is said to have already been laid. As with previous managerial appointments, the Glazers retain final sign-off on both the sacking and the hiring.

Pochettino’s most recent club role was at Chelsea, where he guided the side to a sixth-place Premier League finish in 2023/24 before leaving by mutual consent two days after the season ended. His departure followed a breakdown in his relationship with the Chelsea board, specifically co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.

The 52-year-old had grown frustrated with the club’s inactivity in the January transfer window and pushed back against internal suggestions that his training methods had contributed to an injury crisis. He made his discontent public in a press conference, saying: “It is not only if the owners are happy or the sporting directors happy… you need to ask us also, because maybe we say, ‘we are not happy’, and we accept the situation and we need to split.”

Should the appointment be confirmed, Pochettino would become the eighth permanent United manager of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, with the club hoping he can end a prolonged wait for Premier League success.