Man Utd is close to signing a deal with Mauricio Pochettino, but a last small issue with INEOS is still holding things up.
Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly very close to becoming the next head coach of Manchester United, but there’s one last hurdle to clear.
On Wednesday, United’s leaders, including co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, will meet in Monaco to decide on the current coach Michael Carrick’s future. The final call hasn’t been made yet.
According to The Athletic, United have been talking with representatives of Pochettino, who currently coaches the US men’s national team, over the past day. It’s expected that Pochettino could soon take over as manager at Old Trafford. But before that happens, there’s an important issue to sort out.
These talks are the first big step toward replacing Carrick, who is still expected to lead training on Wednesday. However, Pochettino himself hasn’t been directly involved in discussions yet because United hasn’t officially contacted US Soccer.
It was revealed on Tuesday that United would need to pay $10 million (£7.5m) to release Pochettino from his four-year contract with the USMNT, which he extended in August.
Also, if Pochettino is hired by United, he’ll want to bring his trusted coaching team with him. Each of them has compensation terms in their contracts, which adds another layer to the deal.
His long-time assistant Jesus Perez has worked with him since Pochettino was at Espanyol back in 2010. Former midfielder Miguel D’Agostino, part of that same staff from Espanyol, has followed him to every club since.
Toni Jimenez, who was his goalkeeping coach at Chelsea, now holds the same position with the US team. Pochettino’s son, Sebastiano, also works as a fitness coach.
Speaking before last year’s World Cup, Perez shared how close-knit and united their group is. “We’ve been together a long time,” he told GOAL. “We share the same values. We don’t go beyond what Mauricio wants. Our main goal is to represent him—in how we talk, work with clubs, analysts, fitness and medical teams. Everything is based on strong principles.
“You can have different methods, but principles are what really matter.”