^ ^ Mauricio Pochettino identifies seven Man Utd stars he is desperate to work with

Pochettino will replace Carrick at Old Trafford (Picture: Getty Images)

Mauricio Pochettino is relishing the opportunity to work with a number of Manchester United stars when he arrives at Old Trafford.

The former Tottenham and Chelsea boss has agreed a two-and-a-half year deal to replace Michael Carrick in Manchester with his first game in charge set to be away to Liverpool on Sunday 22 November.

Marcus Rashford could be one of the big winners of the club’s latest appointment with The Daily Telegraph reporting Pochettino has ‘always loved’ the England international.

‘Mauricio has always loved Rashford,’ one source told the newspaper. ‘He will put an arm around him and give him that same kind of love he showed to Dele Alli [at Spurs]. Then it’s up to Rashford.’

Rashford spent last season on loan at Barcelona and was expected to make the move permanent until the Spanish champions backed out of their option to buy. The 29-year-old also spent the second-half of the 2024-25 season on loan at Aston Villa having been frozen out of the team by Ruben Amorim.

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After United failed to find a buyer for him in the summer transfer window, Rashford was reintegrated back into the squad by Carrick in pre-season.

He has started five matches in all competitions this season but a hip injury has ruled him out of the last five.

Pochettino eager to work with Rashford (Picture: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Rashford hopes to be available for the trip to Liverpool after the international break.

Pochettino will also be reunited with Luke Shaw, who he nurtured as an emerging teenage talent at Southampton before joining United for £27million in 2014.

Fernandes has turned down a new contract (Picture: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Shaw is among six other players Pochettino is specifically looking forward to working with alongside Kobbie Mainoo, Patrick Dorgu, Carlos Baleba, Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes.

Fernandes has rejected United’s latest new contract offer, casting doubt on his future after the captain publicly criticised Carrick following the Champions League defeat to Como in October.

Pochettino was eager to sign Fernandes back in 2019 when he was still in charge of Tottenham. Spurs were unable to strike a deal with Sporting with the Portugal international joining United six months later.

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^ ^ Star of Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs side reveals how he will change Man Utd

Mauricio Pochettino is set to take charge at Manchester United (Picture: AP Photo)

Former Tottenham star Toby Alderweireld says Mauricio Pochettino is the man to change the mentality at Manchester United and will bring intensity to the team.

Michael Carrick has been dismissed as Red Devils manager, with confirmation coming from the club on Thursday morning.

The club legend’s interim stint from January to the end of last season could scarcely have gone better, but his permanent spell in charge has been disastrous, with United winning just one of their 10 Premier League games this campaign.

Pochettino is now expected to be announced as Carrick’s replacement, with the USA manager set to leave his role and return to the Premier League where he has previously managed Chelsea, Southampton and Spurs.

His stint in charge of Tottenham was the most significant of his career, leading the club to a Champions League and second-place finish in the Premier League.

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Alderweireld was a big part of that success, playing for Spurs from 2015-21, and he has high hopes for his former boss at Old Trafford.

‘He will make players fit, that’s for sure,’ the Belgian told talkSPORT. ‘Second of all he brings intensity. It’s not like everyone is playing their own game, he wants a team that’s going to be on the front foot. He wants to play pressure and having the ball as well.

Toby Alderweireld made 236 appearances for Spurs (Picture: Getty Images)

‘A clear idea, intensity and players being fit, I think that’s the way he likes to work.’

Alderweireld reckons Pochettino is going to want the club to bend to his will to some extent, expecting the Argentine to insist on influence in the transfer market.

‘The summer, maybe the winter as well, the transfer window is going to be the players that he wants,’ said the former defender.

‘Also the facilities are going to be built also to the things that he wants. Making players fit, food-wise, gym-wise, everything needs to be how he wants it, that’s a big part of his philosophy.

Michael Carrick has had a very tough time this season (Picture: Getty Images)

‘Then he’ll want to buy the players. Maybe not always the biggest names, biggest talents, but guys with desire to win, desire to become better, desire to run. I think if you see the players he bought for Spurs, that’s thing number one, the desire to become better, the desire to win games, wins duels, to run.

‘That’s why I think Pochettino is the man for Man United, to change things around. In the past couple of transfer windows they’ve bought good players, good quality but they miss some chemistry, they miss the intensity and I think Pochettino will bring that.

‘He brings the mentality. If you work hard and bring your A game every single day, everything you want you can achieve. He will bring intensity and the mindset will change at Man United.’

Harry Kane sends message to Manchester United over Mauricio Pochettino move

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^ ^ Man Utd sack Michael Carrick and provide update on Mauricio Pochettino arrival

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Manchester United have sacked Michael Carrick with Mauricio Pochettino set to be appointed their new head coach.

Carrick led training at Carrington this week despite it becoming clear a change was imminent as early as Monday evening.

He arrived at United’s training base at Carrington just before 8am on Thursday morning, leaving less than two-and-a-half hours later having been relieved of his duties.

Behind the scenes, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox have sought approval from minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to part ways with Carrick, with a deal for Pochettino, currently serving as the USA men’s head coach, in place.

Carrick has been on the brink at various stages this season with United sat in the relegation zone in 18^th place after 10 games, winning just once against newly promoted Ipswich Town.

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United opted against making a change during the international break in September and October when Julian Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe were the leading contenders for the job.

Carrick gave himself a lifeline as United came from behind to beat Roma in the Champions League at the start of the month. United also fought back twice from 2-1 down in the same game against Aston Villa on Sunday to rescue a 4-4 draw but the decision was made the following day to part ways with the former midfielder.

His staff are also expected to leave, including former defender Jonny Evans who was pictured leaving Carrington with his belongings on Wednesday.

Pochettino will take over at Old Trafford (Picture: Getty)

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Carrick’s departure marks the third season in a row United have sacked a manager midway through the campaign.

Pochettino’s first game in charge is expected to be the visit to Liverpool on Sunday 22 November.

How Carrick’s United dream turned into a nightmare

Carrick, who had a brief spell as interim boss in 2021, took the reins again in January following Ruben Amorim’s dismissal, securing hugely impressive wins over Manchester City and Arsenal in his opening two games.

They won 12 of their 17 games during the second-half of the 2025-26 season, securing third place and Champions League qualification with a game to spare. United picked up more points than champions Arsenal managed in the period from Carrick’s game in charge until the end of the campaign.

United clearly benefited from the lighter schedule in that run with just the Premier League to focus on. With European football back on the menu this season, reinforcements were needed.

United signed three new midfielders in the summer in Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba but missed out on their top targets Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes who joined Manchester City and Tottenham respectively.

The club also failed to sign another left-back and a striker – positions they were in desperate need of cover for. United are paying the price now with Luke Shaw and Benjamin Sesko injured.

Things started off so well for Carrick (Picture: Shutterstock)

Before the comeback victory over Roma, United’s only wins this season came at home to Ipswich and against Azerbaijan outfit Sabah. Following a particularly harrowing defeat to Como in the Champions League, club captain Bruno Fernandes publicly challenged the manager’s tactics with the skipper dropped for the subsequent game against Chelsea.

Following the 3-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth, Carrick was applauded off the pitch by supporters who instead turned their ire towards the players in a clear picture of where the frustration lies.

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^ ^ Mauricio Pochettino tipped to make former Chelsea star his first Manchester United signing

Incoming Manchester United boss Mauricio Pochettino (Picture: Getty)

Mauricio Pochettino has been tipped to sign Real Madrid defender and former Chelsea star Antonio Rudiger for Manchester United.

Pochettino is set to take charge at Old Trafford and replace Michael Carrick, who will be sacked following a dismal start to the season.

United are just 18th in the Premier League after ten games – their lowest position at this stage of a campaign since 1986.

Old Trafford bosses held a review into Carrick’s position earlier this week and appear to have decided to make a change in the dugout.

Eddie Howe, Fabian Hurzeler, Unai Emery, Antonio Conte and Julian Nagelsmann have all been linked with the Manchester United job in recent weeks.

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But United chose Pochettino as their first-choice pick this week and are currently finalising a deal to bring the Argentine back to the Premier League.

Pochettino, who will step down from his role as head coach of the USA to take over at Manchester United, has already worked at fellow English clubs Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea, as well as Spanish side Espanyol and French giants PSG.

Michael Carrick is set to be sacked (Picture: PA)

One of the biggest problems for United this season has been a fragile defence and ex-Premier League striker Charlie Austin insists Pochettino ‘needs a whole new back-four’.

Austin believes Pochettino could look to sign someone like Rudiger, the Real Madrid and Germany centre-back who previously spent five years in England with Chelsea.

‘Manchester United need a whole new back-four,’ Austin told OLBG. ‘That’s first and foremost.

Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger (Picture: Getty)

‘They need someone who’s going to be aggressive. They’ve got Lisandro Martinez, but unfortunately he’s injured at the moment.

‘The problem is that there isn’t just one player Manchester United needs. They’re in a sorry state of affairs at the moment. They need a whole new back-four.

‘Their back-four is exactly the same as the one they had when they got beaten 7-0 by Liverpool. So that’s your starting point?

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‘I wouldn’t be surprised if Pochettino went for someone like Antonio Rudiger. Someone of that ilk: experienced, knows the Premier League, still mobile and still athletic. That’s where I think they should be looking.

‘Then you can build the defence around someone like that and bring in younger players.’

Austin also wondered whether Pochettino could target his former Chelsea player Cole Palmer after taking over at Manchester United.

Palmer enjoyed playing under Pochettino and was tentatively linked with a move to Old Trafford last summer amid reports he was not completely settled at Stamford Bridge.

‘Cole Palmer was phenomenal under Pochettino,’ Austin added. ‘He was unbelievable when he first came to Chelsea.

‘I wouldn’t put it past Pochettino. Chelsea and Manchester United do seem to have a strange relationship in the transfer market.’

If appointed, Pochettino’s first game in charge of the Red Devils will likely be a daunting trip to Anfield to face Liverpool immediately after the international break.

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