Pochettino closing in on United job as Collins, Bassey and Branthwaite top January defensive wishlist

Manchester United are moving to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as their next head coach, with the club already drawing up a defensive transfer shortlist that includes Nathan Collins, Calvin Bassey and Jarrad Branthwaite ahead of the January window.

Pochettino is being extracted from his contract as United States head coach while current manager Michael Carrick continues to take training at Carrington. Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, director of football Jason Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada are meeting in Monaco to determine the club’s next steps, with Carrick widely expected to be dismissed imminently. United currently sit 18th in the Premier League.

According to the Mail, Brentford centre-back Nathan Collins, left-footed Fulham defender Calvin Bassey and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite are high on United’s recruitment list. The club’s defensive frailties have become impossible to ignore: United have conceded 15 goals across their last five fixtures under Carrick, and only bottom-placed Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town have let in more than United’s 19 Premier League goals this season.

The vulnerability at the back is partly self-inflicted. United opted against reinforcing their defence in the summer, choosing instead to prioritise midfield with the arrivals of Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba. That decision has been compounded by a lengthy injury list — Luke Shaw, Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mazraoui have all missed significant playing time — and the club now appears ready to accelerate a defensive overhaul it had originally planned for next summer.

Carrick was handed a three-match audition following a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, during which United were also linked with Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte. He lost 2-0 at Chelsea before producing two dramatic comebacks: a 3-2 Champions League win over Roma and a 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, both after going two goals down. Despite those spirited performances, the board appears unconvinced that Carrick is the long-term answer.

Pochettino would inherit a squad that has managed just three wins from its last 15 matches across all competitions. Securing at least one of the targeted defenders in January would give the Argentine a more stable platform from which to begin a rebuild.