Manchester United and Mauricio Pochettino have been linked with each other for a decade now, every time that there has been a change in the dugout at Old Trafford
Reports linking Mauricio Pochettino with becoming the next Manchester United head coach should soon be a thing of the past.
Negotiations with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) over a new contract are reportedly going well. It is said that the proposed deal is for four years through to the 2030 World Cup in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain.
Pochettino became the first U.S. men’s national team coach to win a knockout round match in 24 years this summer. However, because of the tournament’s expansion, they still only reached the round of 16, as they did in 2010, 2014 and 2022.
Nevertheless, as Telemundo broadcaster Andres Cantor first reported, U.S. Soccer intends to announce his renewal soon. The Athletic have clarified that a deal is “close” but not quite done, with talks ongoing.
Assuming that extension does become official and Pochettino sees it out, he will have spent six years Stateside. That would make it the longest tenure of his coaching career.
He was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur five-and-a-half years into his time there in 2019. The only period of his professional life longer than that is the amount of time he has been linked with becoming the United manager this century.
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Pochettino was a candidate to replace Louis van Gaal a decade ago, before Jose Mourinho ultimately got the job. United had previously overlooked the Portuguese when appointing David Moyes as their successor for Sir Alex Ferguson.
However, unlike Mourinho, Pochettino has never ended up in the home dugout at Old Trafford. In a cruel twist of fate, the now Real Madrid head coach – another job the Argentine has regularly been talked up for – replaced him at Spurs three years after United snubbed him.
Pochettino acknowledged to FourFourTwo earlier this year: “United have always shown interest. But the ideal scenario to manage there has never quite materialised.”
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Speaking about when United were looking to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2022 permanently, he said: “I was under contract at PSG. After our Champions League elimination against Real Madrid, we had no option but to make sure we secured the Ligue 1 title at least.
“United were in a hurry to announce their new manager before the end of that season because the situation had become unsustainable. I couldn’t negotiate, whereas Ajax gave Ten Hag the flexibility to do so.”
Four years on, months after United handed Michael Carrick a two-year contract, when Pochettino was again under contract. However, he now appears to be about to commit his long-term future away from Old Trafford, ending a decade of rumours.
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