Mauricio Pochettino ditching USMNT for Manchester United in $10 million bombshell
Just three months after signing Mauricio Pochettino to a four-year extension, the U.S.men’s national team is looking for a new manager.Pochettino is leaving the program after the current international window to take the open job at Manchester United, according to multiple reports, with an announcement set for Friday.
The Athletic reported that his deal with United will be for 2 ½ seasons after the English giants made the ouster of Michael Carrick official on Thursday morning.Pochettino will reportedly coach both of the USMNT’s games against Haiti, the first of which is Saturday afternoon in Miami.The U.S.
Soccer Federation hasn’t yet given official comment, but players were put in the awkward situation Thursday morning of answering questions about a move that everyone knew was coming, but which wasn’t yet official.“Him leaving, him staying, he’s just created a great foundation and a great base for this team,” Sebastian Berhalter told reporters at the team’s training base in Fayetteville, Ga.“Even though he’s an Argentinian coach, he made us even more proud to be American, and I think that speaks volumes of who he is as a person and as a coach.”The 54-year-old Argentine was quickly identified as the frontrunner to replace Carrick before his firing was even made official, with a litany of British media outlets reporting he was atop the club’s list on Monday night.
United, whose 20 Premier League titles are more than any other club, went into the international break in the relegation zone and are off to a shocking 1-5-4 start. Despite the seeming abruptness of the move, it is not all that stunning.Pochettino has been open about his desire to return to the Premier League, and even over the summer, was evasive-at-best in responding to reports connecting him to the open job at AC Milan.
He’s long talked about Manchester United as a dream job, and had a well-publicized meal with the club’s legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2016 that w...