USMNT cancel media access as Manchester United close in on Pochettino appointment

Manchester United are moving to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as their next head coach, with the United States men’s national team cancelling scheduled player media access on Wednesday as speculation over the Argentine’s future intensified.

Pochettino has emerged as the clear frontrunner to replace Michael Carrick, who is expected to be dismissed after United’s worst start to a season since 1986 left them in the Premier League relegation zone. US Soccer confirmed the cancellation of Wednesday’s media duties in observance of Veterans Day, though the timing removed any opportunity for Pochettino’s players to be questioned about his prospective departure.

The former Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea manager is understood to be keen on the Old Trafford role, having been linked with the vacancy on previous occasions. His willingness to leave comes just three months after he signed a contract extension to remain as USMNT head coach through to the 2030 World Cup, meaning US Soccer would be entitled to compensation should he agree to join United.

Carrick, meanwhile, arrived for training as normal at United’s Carrington complex on Wednesday morning and departed in the afternoon with no announcement on his future. His position was discussed by chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox in a meeting in Monaco with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

The pressure on Carrick has been building for weeks. A 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como and a 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth first put his job under serious threat, though the board chose to give him time to turn results around. Subsequent defeats — including a 2-0 loss at Chelsea, where Lisandro Martinez was sent off — compounded the situation, before a 3-2 Champions League comeback win over Roma offered brief respite.

A dramatic 4-4 draw against Aston Villa on Sunday proved to be the latest chapter in a turbulent run, after which Carrick insisted he would not resign and was preparing for the international break as normal.

“I’m pretty clear where we need to go and how we need to get there,” Carrick said. “The group will be split for 10 days or so, but we’ll train and we’ll get ready for the next game.”

United return to action with a Premier League trip to Liverpool on 22 November — a fixture they could enter with Pochettino already installed in the dugout.