Pochettino closing in on United job as Carrick left in limbo by club's drawn-out process

Manchester United are moving toward appointing Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach, with interim manager Michael Carrick expected to be dismissed once Sir Jim Ratcliffe signs off on the decision at a meeting in Monaco.

Carrick has continued to report to the club’s Carrington training ground throughout the week despite widespread, well-sourced reports confirming his imminent departure. United sources have maintained that no final decision has been made, but the board is understood to have already resolved to replace him with Pochettino, leaving the former United midfielder in an uncomfortable public limbo.

The drawn-out episode has drawn sharp criticism, with the club’s handling of the situation described as disrespectful toward a figure widely regarded as a club legend. Carrick has arrived and left Carrington each day to a bank of cameras, his employers laying the groundwork for a managerial change while he continues to take training sessions.

The situation carries uncomfortable echoes of the summer, when Ineos held open conversations with other managerial candidates while Erik ten Hag waited for direct communication about his own future. Ten Hag later admitted publicly that the media speculation during that period affected him. United’s hierarchy appears not to have adjusted its approach in the months since.

Carrick, by nature, is unlikely to speak out against the club given his deep personal connection to the institution. That loyalty, however, has not been reciprocated in the manner in which this transition has been managed. The broad consensus is that a swift, private resolution on Monday morning would have been the dignified course of action.

Pochettino, who most recently managed the United States men’s national team and previously held the top job at Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain, and Southampton, is now expected to be confirmed as United’s new head coach once the formalities are concluded.