Pochettino faces immediate Liverpool test after Manchester United move

Mauricio Pochettino has reached a verbal agreement to become Manchester United’s new manager after the club dismissed Michael Carrick, but he will have only a handful of days to prepare for a meeting with Liverpool at Anfield on 22 November.

Manchester United had been discussing Pochettino’s appointment while Carrick was still overseeing training, with negotiations extending to the £7m release clause in the Argentine’s contract with the United States Soccer Federation.

The clause is worth $10m, according to BBC Sport, and Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada contacted the federation on Wednesday to confirm the details and inform them the club intended to activate it.

Pochettino’s representatives had already shared information about the clause with United. The former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager had also made clear to US officials that he wanted to return to the Premier League.

His agreement with Manchester United is for two and a half years, running until summer 2029.

Carrick’s dismissal followed a difficult start to the new campaign, despite the former midfielder having guided United back into the Champions League only months earlier.

After heavy defeats by Como and Bournemouth, the club viewed matches against Chelsea, Roma and Aston Villa as a final opportunity for Carrick to change the situation. United won one, drew one and lost one of those games, conceding eight goals.

The 4-4 draw with Aston Villa proved decisive. United fell 2-0 behind within the first four minutes, trailed 4-2 early in the second half and recovered to earn a late draw. Although the players showed considerable resilience, the club concluded the underlying problems had not been solved.

Carrick had initially been regarded as a stabilising figure. He took temporary charge after Ruben Amorim’s dismissal in January 2026 and won 12 of his 17 matches that season, a 70.1% success rate. United finished third in the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League.

The 45-year-old was subsequently given a two-year contract, with clauses intended to protect the club if the relationship ended early. However, he won only 15 of 32 matches overall, a 46.9% record, and managed three victories in 15 games this season, a 20% win rate.

Pochettino cannot take charge immediately because he is preparing the United States for two Concacaf Nations League matches against Haiti. He began training at the national centre near Atlanta before the first leg in Miami and the return fixture in Cincinnati on 18 November.

He is expected to travel to England afterwards and begin work at United’s Carrington training ground. That leaves limited preparation time before Liverpool, with international absences potentially further restricting his options.

Gary Neville, the former United defender and Sky Sports analyst, has argued that the club’s difficulties are structural rather than simply managerial. Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, United have appointed a succession of permanent and interim managers, while Jose Mourinho has the best permanent-manager win rate at 58.3% and the strongest trophy record.

Pochettino’s appointment will therefore be judged not only by his opening result, but by whether United can finally build a stable structure around a manager.