Manchester United reach agreement in principle with Mauricio Pochettino as Michael Carrick’s future hangs in balance

Manchester United’s next head coach could be waiting in the wings while Michael Carrick is still at work. The club have reached an agreement in principle with Mauricio Pochettino to take over if they decide to sack Carrick, as the pressure around the current coach intensifies.

Carrick reported to United’s Carrington training ground on Wednesday morning. At the same time, senior figures were preparing to discuss his future at a meeting in Monaco, where a final decision is expected.

The meeting had already been planned as a review of United’s start to the season. Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are due to meet minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who controls football operations at Old Trafford. Berrada and Wilcox will make a recommendation before Ratcliffe makes the final call on Carrick.

United’s position in the relegation zone, after their worst start to a league campaign in 40 years, has left Carrick’s role increasingly uncertain. He was given more time after a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth last month, but the possibility of a change has since gathered pace.

Pochettino is currently in charge of the USA national team and is understood to be ready if United move for him. He is due to lead the Americans against Haiti on Saturday, as things stand. United would need to pay around £7 million to release him from the contract he signed with the USA after the World Cup, though that sum is not considered an obstacle by the club.

For now, the agreement is conditional: Pochettino’s appointment depends on United deciding Carrick’s time is up. The Monaco meeting therefore carries two linked questions—whether to make a change, and whether to turn a long-standing interest in the Argentine into a concrete appointment.

United have spoken with Pochettino on at least two previous occasions about taking charge. This latest development brings that interest back into focus, but the immediate decision remains Carrick’s. While he leads training in Manchester, the club’s powerbrokers are weighing whether to keep him in the job or hand the next chapter to a coach already lined up as a possible successor.