Manchester United and Mauricio Pochettino: Would Argentine be the perfect fit or just another manager to fall foul of Old Trafford chaos?
Mauricio Pochettino and Manchester United have a well-established history. One where paths might have crossed long before now, numerous times, but somehow never managed to converge.
Could it be that we are finally to bear witness to the culmination of this elaborate 10-year dance of incompatible circumstances?
The Old Trafford hierarchy have always admired Pochettino from afar. He was on their radar while at Tottenham and again when it was clear his time at PSG was coming to an end. The Argentine was eventually lured back to the Premier League, but instead returned to London, signing with Chelsea.
All along this journey of complicated courtship United were at play. There have been many sliding doors moments. At the time news broke of Chelsea's interest in Pochettino in 2023, United, coached by Erik ten Hag, had just been ripped to shreds by Sevilla.
The morning after that defeat all the back pages focussed on another humiliating capitulation in Europe. 'What the El was that?' one read. Another lay into the inadequacies of Harry Maguire's performance. No doubt both headlines have been recycled since. At United, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Miraculously, it took another 18 months for the button to be pushed on Ten Hag. Four managers of varying permanency followed. Until another chance, a decade on from the first, has revealed itself to pursue the one that got away. Is this finally right place right time for Pochettino?
No doubt the 54-year-old is a coach well versed in chaos clubs. He took over at both PSG and Chelsea in times of relative instability and emerged with his reputation for making players better and creating a culture of support still in tact. Unlike any since Jose Mourinho, he is also, crucially, Premier League proven.
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Originally endorsed by Sir Alex Ferguson - a fact not inconsequential despite the Scot's retirement some 13 years ago - Pochettino holds clout among football's elite. At nearly every turn of the post-Ferguson era, United have failed to appoint a leader of stature and appropriate experience, perhaps with Mourinho the only exception.
Not since the Portuguese left in 2018 have United had a coach capable of steering a ship as unyielding as this one. Admittedly the pool of figures able to captain such a vessel is small, especially one that appears to be sinking so voluntarily.
But Pochettino is a personality. On top of his attractive brand of football and a commitment to player pathways, he has proved he can handle himself under pressure, not least in his most recent role as US national head coach, at a home World Cup, where his team's campaign was overshadowed, in his own words, by "politics and manipulation".
He kept his position separate to that of President Trump's frankly scandalous attempts to undermine the competitive laws of the game. And came out the other side with a new four-year contract and a nation captivated by his character and adoptive Americanisms.
But the stop-start cadence of international management was unlikely to satisfy all of Pochettino's passions. A way back into club football at this juncture is surely advantageous for a man that has not stopped talking about his openness to a return almost since the day he left.
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Now to assess the balance of risk and reward. Priced into all of his major roles has been a degree of volatility that he has been able to overcome, but unlike his most recent Premier League stint at Chelsea, the United gig requires a blind leap of faith in the middle of an already unravelling season. And comes with caveats no individual manager can be expected to apprehend.
The state of the squad and that of the wider structure of the club is hardly a compelling starting point. But perhaps that is actually part of the appeal. For all Pochettino's coaching credibility, he remains a manager without any silverware in England. He comes with a point of his own to prove, which is why joining a club close to rock bottom has its advantages. Quick wins are available.
Installing a level of respectability should buy him some time and the January window presents opportunities, too. In many ways, the redemptive element is what makes the arc mutually attractive; Pochettino is not likely to get another shot at managing a giant. However fallen. He could be the medium to long-term project coach the club needs.
Of course the soap opera element cannot be ignored. But assuming a guy who has recent experience of Trump's media storm can handle the spotlight, the real question is whether he can inspire a group of players that have already proved themselves wholly unreliable on and off the pitch this season.
Pochettino's style would at least offer a recognisable blueprint suited to the demands of the Premier League, which is more than can be said for the tactical ambiguity that exists now. And his man management skills should engender greater levels of effort and commitment, albeit he will still be saddled with the same imbalances and inefficiencies that look destined to get Michael Carrick sacked.
This is no ordinary job.
Objectively, that is what makes this slow burn story so fascinating. Could it work? The truth is no one really knows for sure, else Pochettino would have been handed his opportunity long before now. A position 10 years in the making. Will it be worth the wait?
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11 of November 2026
