Manchester United have confirmed that Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed as the club’s new Head Coach from 18 November. He replaces Michael Carrick, who was relieved of his duties yesterday, with the club in the relegation zone.

A statement on the club website said:

“The club has reached an agreement with the US Soccer Federation for Mauricio and his staff to be released after the conclusion of their responsibilities with the US Men’s National Team.

Pochettino will take charge of the United States’ two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final against Haiti, with his first match in charge being the trip to arch-rivals Liverpool on 22 November.

Making Spurs Contenders

It feels like Pochettino’s arrival in the Old Trafford dugout has been inevitable ever since he was first linked with the job after Louis Van Gaal’s departure in 2016. At that point, he was two years into his time at Tottenham Hotspur, having made his name in England at Southampton.

That season the Argentine had masterminded Spurs’ best league finish since 1990 as they finished third, having been Leicester City’s closest title challengers for much of the season. The following season they went one better, finishing runners-up to Chelsea.

In the 2018-19 season, the North London club reached the Champions League Final for the first time thanks to a dramatic comeback in the semi-finals against Ajax, managed by future United boss Erik Ten Hag.

His time at White Hart Lane gives plenty of reason for optimism. It was Pochettino who gave Harry Kane his senior Tottenham debut, also developing the likes of Dele Alli and Kyle Walker.

Reasons For Caution

Whilst he is still fondly remembered in North London, his career since, and it’s worth remembering he was sacked seven years ago, his record since does not inspire the same confidence and raises concern that he may be the right manager at the wrong time.

He was appointed manager of former club Paris Saint-Germain in January 2021 and guided them to a runners-up finish in Ligue 1 and the Champions League semi-finals. At most clubs, this would be a promising start, but this is a club where trophies are demanded.

He did win the Coupe de France that season, as well as the Ligue 1 title in 2022, but left the club with a year left on his contract. He also only lasted a single season at Chelsea, where he finished sixth, although they did win their final five games of the Premier League season.

It’s also fair to say that the list of problems currently at Old Trafford is a very long one. For a start, he will be inheriting a squad low on confidence and a fanbase who feel like their club is stuck in an endless cycle which seems to be circling around even quicker.

What Will Pochettino Bring To United?

One of the biggest aspects of his coaching that Pochettino has been praised for is man-management and his willingness to give a chance to academy players. At Southampton and Tottenham, a number of players went on to play for England.

At Spurs, he also encouraged the likes of Eric Dier and Harry Kane to evaluate their own performances and identify weaknesses in their own game, something that was also cited by Rickie Lambert, who played for him at Southampton.

He is also said to be uncompromising and demand high standards of fitness and punctuality. This could help solve a key weakness in United’s game, as after the draw with Fulham in September they were ranked bottom of the league for time sprinting and had been outrun by every opponent at that point.

Quite what will be considered a success at Old Trafford this season is hard to pinpoint, with the immediate objective of steering the club away from the relegation zone.