Mauricio Pochettino has been officially announced as Manchester United's new manager, with the Glazer family playing a huge role in securing his signature. The former Tottenham boss has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at Old Trafford and will be in charge for next weekend's Premier League showdown with Liverpool.
He replaces Michael Carrick, who was relieved of his duties on Thursday with the Red Devils in the relegation zone.
Club statement confirms appointment
The club said in a statement: "Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the Manchester United men’s head coach from 18 November."
"The club has reached an agreement with the U.S. Soccer Federation for Mauricio and his staff to be released after the conclusion of their responsibilities with the U.S. Men’s National Team."
The Argentinian is renowned for his high-intensity, attacking style of football, his dedication to building strong, cohesive teams and his outstanding record of developing individual players. Pochettino has consistently performed at the highest level of football across multiple leagues.
Relegation battle ahead
With over a quarter of the season gone, United have secured just one Premier League victory and currently sit 18th in the table. Pochettino will be tasked with dragging the club away from relegation danger and achieving a respectable finish by the end of the campaign.
He was poached from the United States national team, with United reportedly paying around £7.4million to buy him out of his four-year contract. When it emerged this week that Carrick was almost certain to be axed, Pochettino quickly emerged as the frontrunner for the role.
Glazers overrule top brass
Sir Jim Ratcliffe controls football operations at United, but the Glazers played an instrumental role in both recommending and hiring the 54-year-old, according to talkSPORT. A separate report from the Daily Mail states that Ratcliffe, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox all wanted to appoint former Newcastle boss Eddie Howe. However, they were said to have been overruled by the Glazers, who 'ordered' them to accept their final decision.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Pochettino was interviewed by United on two previous occasions, but they decided to appoint Ole Gunner Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag instead. It's claimed that the Glazers were determined not to 'make the same mistake' by overlooking Pochettino for a third time.
They are thought to have close ties with billionaire hedge fund owner Ken Griffin, who helped finance the lucrative contract extension that Pochettino signed with the United States in the summer. Griffin was also the main financial contributor to the salary which led to the Argentine being hired by US Soccer in the first place.
It remains to be seen how Pochettino will fare in charge of United, who desperately need to start picking up points to avoid an unthinkable relegation battle.
