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Mauricio Pochettino and Manchester United are a decade in the making

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Mauricio Pochettino appears set to take the helm at Manchester United after club hierarchy, including Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada, and Jason Wilcox, decided to finalize Michael Carrick's dismissal. The protracted managerial transition has drawn significant criticism from supporters who have grown disaffected by the team's slide into the relegation zone. The former Tottenham and Chelsea boss brings proven English league experience, though he will take charge of a squad assembled across six distinct managerial tenures. While he captured the French Cup and Ligue 1 title with Paris St-Germain, questions remain about his ability to deliver major silverware in England.

Key points

  • Club leaders Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada, and Jason Wilcox face mounting criticism fr…: Club leaders Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada, and Jason Wilcox face mounting criticism from fans over the managerial process.
  • The appointment ends a pursuit dating back to Mauricio Pochettino's 2016 meeting with for…: The appointment ends a pursuit dating back to Mauricio Pochettino's 2016 meeting with former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
  • The new coach must unite a fractured dressing room that has been built across six differe…: The new coach must unite a fractured dressing room that has been built across six different managerial regimes.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Pochettino a decade in Man Utd's making - but Carrick deserves better

- Published

When the expected formalities of Michael Carrick's dismissal as Manchester United are completed after a summit meeting in Monaco, Mauricio Pochettino looks set to turn a decade-long courtship with Old Trafford into a full-blown relationship.

Pochettino and United go back a long way, with the Argentine's name associated with the club since he was spotted leaving a lunch appointment at Scott's restaurant in Mayfair with Sir Alex Ferguson in 2016.

Ferguson was three years into his retirement, while Pochettino was building his reputation at Tottenham, where he fashioned an intense, all-out-attacking team that the great Scot admired.

Pochettino called it "a meeting in London between colleagues, between a genius and an apprentice".

In that moment, a link was forged.

Pochettino was mentioned as a contender to succeed Louis van Gaal when he was sacked by United in May 2016, then when Jose Mourinho suffered the same fate in December 2018.

Pochettino was the other name on United's shortlist when Erik ten Haag was appointed in April…

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