Man Utd must be wary after what happened with Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea
Mauricio Pochettino is the leading candidate to replace Michael Carrick at Manchester United, but the circumstances surrounding his Chelsea exit could be a cause for concern among the club's hierarchy.
United are expected to part company with Carrick ahead of their clash against Liverpool on November 22, according to a report from The Athletic.
It has been a disastrous season at Old Trafford. United currently sit in the Premier League relegation zone with just eight points from their opening 10 games after recording one win, five draws and four losses.
So, who will replace Carrick if they decide to look elsewhere?
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Several high-profile names have been linked, including Eddie Howe, Antonio Conte and Julian Nagelsmann, but former Tottenham and Chelsea head coach Pochettino looks to be the frontrunner.
Man Utd must be wary after Mauricio Pochettino's spell at Chelsea
The Argentine has plenty of Premier League experience. After securing four consecutive top-four finishes with Spurs, he joined PSG before making his way over to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2023.
He guided Chelsea to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, as well as the League Cup final and FA Cup semi-finals, but Pochettino departed after just one season in charge.
His exit from Stamford Bridge was far from straightforward. Chelsea announced they had 'mutually agreed to part ways', but it soon emerged that Pochettino had clashed over recruitment and squad management.
A report from The Guardian suggested the Argentine was frustrated by his lack of influence over transfers.
As well as wanting more experience in his squad, Pochettino wanted to retain Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah, while Chelsea were open to selling both players to stay within profitability and sustainability rules.
It begs the question: would Pochettino be a good fit for Manchester United's current structure?
United operate under a similarly structured model, with director of football Jason Wilcox overseeing recruitment strategy alongside chief executive Omar Berrada.
Whether Pochettino would be comfortable working within those constraints remains to be seen, although Berrada has been vocal about his desire to have a mix of experience and youth at United.
One thing is for certain. United will need to establish how much control Pochettino expects in terms of recruitment before appointing him, or risk repeating the disagreements that contributed to his Chelsea departure.
Mauricio Pochettino has previously opened up on Chelsea exit
Speaking in an interview with The Overlap last year, Pochettino gave a fascinating insight into his Chelsea departure.
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“What I understood didn't happen after. Maybe I was wrong,” Pochettino admitted. “When we arrived, we needed to understand, the team was 12th in the Premier League. We didn’t play in Europe – no Conference League, no Europa League, no Champions League.
"It was in the process of all the changes from one ownership to another. [There are] things that you need to put in place, things to prioritise."
He added: "Why I think I am disappointed with internal things is, under our assessment and our vision, it was a normal process to create something solid for the future. We finished sixth, winning the last five or six games.
"We arrived at the final of the Carabao Cup, and we played in the semi-final of the FA Cup against Manchester City. In both games we deserved to go through – to win the final and to go through – but because of experience of different things, we didn’t win.
"But we were in a very good way. But when things didn’t match what was our vision, we said it’s better to split; it’s better to give the possibility to the club to do what they want. I’m not complaining because the decision was my decision to leave the club."
Topics: Man Utd, Premier League, Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham Hotspur
Jack Kenmare
