Pochettino nears Old Trafford switch as Carrick's United exit looms

Manchester United are closing in on an agreement to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as head coach, contingent on Michael Carrick being removed, according to the Guardian's Jamie Jackson.

The recommendation to sack Carrick has come from Jason Wilcox, the club's director of football, and chief executive Omar Berrada, who have put the case to owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Jackson reported.

Pochettino, currently head coach of the USMNT, is understood to want the United job should Carrick be removed as expected.

Metro Football reported that United are set to part company with Carrick on Thursday and move quickly to install Pochettino, with his first match potentially the trip to Anfield on 22 November after the international break.

The urgency reflects a torrid run of results that has left United in the relegation zone, having already conceded 19 goals this season — a tally bettered only by bottom club Crystal Palace and promoted Ipswich, per Metro's figures.

Morgan Schneiderlin, who played under Pochettino at Southampton and later spent two years at Old Trafford, told ComeOn that his former manager will need time to assess the squad before making changes, but expects alterations once the January window opens.

"First, Mauricio Pochettino will need to adapt to the players he has until January," Schneiderlin said, adding: "And then after that, yes, I think he will need legs if he sees in training sessions that certain players don't have the legs to do it."

Schneiderlin singled out the back line as an area for scrutiny, saying: "I think my only question mark is maybe the defensive line. That's an area that can improve, because in my time, Mauricio"

Given Pochettino's known preference for a high defensive line, Schneiderlin suggested that approach could leave long-serving centre-back Harry Maguire, a mainstay of Carrick's backline, under pressure for his place.

Across the Atlantic, the uncertainty has yet to visibly disrupt Pochettino's day job. Yahoo Sports described him greeting US Soccer chief executive JT Batson, Cavan Sullivan and Malik Tillman at training in Fayetteville, Georgia, before using the session to introduce three visiting U20 players.

Yahoo reported that the gathering addressed only the day's training plan, with no indication given that Pochettino's exit was imminent, even as it appeared increasingly likely in the background.

Before any move can be finalised, United must formally open their coaching vacancy, a procedural step Yahoo noted complicates the timeline from a US Soccer perspective given the distance involved.

United's higher command met in Monaco on Wednesday to settle on a change of direction, Yahoo reported, with Carrick's departure and Pochettino's arrival presented as the expected outcome of those discussions.

Pochettino remains, for now, the USMNT's head coach ahead of their fixture against Haiti, with his status before that match still unresolved as the Manchester United process plays out.