Pochettino says leaving USA for Manchester United was among career’s hardest decisions

Mauricio Pochettino fought back tears as he said goodbye to the United States national team after being confirmed as Manchester United’s new manager.

The 54-year-old Argentine has been appointed by United following Michael Carrick’s dismissal, ending his two-year spell in charge of the USA.

Pochettino signed a four-year contract extension in August that was due to keep him with the national team until the 2030 World Cup. However, he said the decision to leave had been one of the most difficult of his career.

“We learned a lot from you all, from this amazing country,” Pochettino told reporters on Friday. “I think this was one of the most difficult decisions of (my) career.”

The former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager became emotional while thanking the players and staff who had worked with him, saying it was especially hard to walk away from a project he believed in strongly.

“To the staff and the players, I want to say thank you so much for the last two years,” he said. “You made me feel really happy sharing an amazing project. It’s difficult now for me to finish. We were very excited to share a project which we really believed in. It makes the decision harder.”

Pochettino said his departure was driven by both emotion and professional ambition as he accepted the opportunity to take charge at Old Trafford.

“It’s difficult to talk now because I’m a very emotional guy. In some parts it’s a very sad decision; in another part we are professional, and we are trying to make our dreams come true,” he said.

He revealed that talks about moving to Manchester United had progressed rapidly, with the possibility first emerging soon after he arrived in the United States last Friday.

Pochettino said he told the players once an agreement had been reached and that they had responded positively. He also confirmed that US Soccer and Manchester United had agreed for him to remain in charge for the USA’s immediate international fixtures.

Pochettino to lead USA against Haiti

Pochettino will oversee the United States’ back-to-back CONCACAF Nations League matches against Haiti on Saturday and next Tuesday before beginning his new job at Manchester United.

He also guided the Americans to the last 16 of this year’s World Cup.

The Argentine insisted that returning to the Premier League was not his plan when he agreed to extend his USA contract in August, but admitted Manchester United’s approach was too significant to reject.

“I never said I wanted to go back in the Premier League,” he said.

“Not too many opportunities can happen in your career with a side like Manchester United. That is difficult to turn down when it arrives. But I want to make clear that when we decided to extend, it was a commitment for the federation.”