Mauricio Pochettino has been confirmed as Manchester United's new head coach, signing a two-and-a-half-year deal at Old Trafford. He replaces Michael Carrick, who was sacked on Thursday with the club in the Premier League relegation zone.
The appointment is driven by Pochettino's high-intensity, attacking style of football, his dedication to building strong, cohesive teams, and his record of developing individual players. His consistency at the highest level across multiple leagues was an additional factor. This will be his fourth spell in the Premier League, having previously managed Southampton, Tottenham, and Chelsea.
First Match and Home Debut
Pochettino's start date is November 18, after the USA's CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final second leg against Haiti. He will take charge of training ahead of the match against Liverpool three days later. United won both meetings with Liverpool last season, including a rare victory at Anfield, though Pochettino has not won there since his Southampton days in the 2013-14 campaign.
United travel to Lisbon to face Sporting in the Champions League next, meaning successive away games at the start of his tenure. Brentford's visit to Old Trafford on November 28 will be his first home game in charge.
The First Six Matches
The opening run includes Liverpool (a), Sporting (a), and Brentford (h), followed by Newcastle (a) and Coventry (h) in the Premier League. It concludes with a Champions League match against RB Leipzig on matchday six of the league phase, where United will aim to strengthen their position for last-16 qualification.
Previous Starts Compared
Pochettino's first six matches at previous clubs show mixed results. At Espanyol in January 2009, he failed to win any of his opening six games but won his seventh away at Barcelona. At Southampton, he won one of his first six and lost half. At Chelsea, his only two wins came against Luton and AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup.
He won his first match at Tottenham, and oversaw four wins and a draw from his first six Spurs and PSG matches, before five wins from his first six in charge of the USMNT.
