Pochettino emerges as costly option if Manchester United replace Carrick

Michael Carrick’s position as Manchester United manager remains uncertain despite his late intervention against Aston Villa, with the club yet to decide whether he will continue in charge.

United have shown greater resilience in their past two matches, recovering from two-goal deficits in both games. They beat Roma 3-2 in the Champions League after falling 2-0 behind, before drawing 4-4 with Aston Villa in the Premier League after trailing 2-0 and then 4-2.

According to journalist Alex Crook, the mood at Manchester United’s Carrington training ground was calm on the morning of his report and Carrick is expected to remain in his role for the time being. However, his longer-term future has still not been secured.

Crook said the club had intended to assess Carrick’s position during the international break. Manchester United had previously considered making a change in the dugout following their draw with Bournemouth.

One possibility under discussion is to strengthen Carrick’s coaching staff rather than replace him immediately.

That plan had almost been put into action earlier, with the club reportedly considering Aaron Danks, the English assistant manager at Bayern Munich, during the summer. However, persuading Danks to leave in the middle of the season now appears highly unlikely.

Danks has taken on greater responsibility at Bayern Munich and has performed effectively while manager Vincent Kompany has been unwell.

Pochettino would come at a high cost

Crook also reported that Mauricio Pochettino would welcome the opportunity to manage Manchester United if the club decided to part company with Carrick.

The Argentine is currently in charge of the United States national team and remains one of the potential candidates should United make a change. His experience in the Premier League is viewed as a significant factor, having managed Tottenham and Chelsea, according to Yahoo Sport.

Pochettino led Tottenham to four successive top-four finishes despite the club operating with a comparatively modest transfer budget. He also guided them to the 2018-19 Champions League final.

His subsequent spell at Chelsea ended with a sixth-place Premier League finish. During his only season in charge, Pochettino also took Chelsea to the League Cup final and the FA Cup semi-final before leaving by mutual agreement.

The former Paris Saint-Germain manager remains under contract with the United States. Manchester United would therefore have to pay substantial compensation to secure his services.

For now, Carrick retains the club’s confidence in the short term, but the recent improvement in results has not removed uncertainty over the structure or leadership of United’s coaching team.