Man United appoint Mauricio Pochettino: When will Argentine officially start work at Old Trafford?

Manchester United have confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

The Red Devils made the decision to sack Michael Carrick on Thursday due to the team's difficult start to the 2026-27 campaign.

Man United are currently down in 18th spot in the Premier League table and have only been victorious in one of their opening 10 matches of the league campaign.

Pochettino quickly emerged as the club's number one choice earlier this week, and the Argentine's arrival on a two-and-a-half-year deal has now been confirmed.

However, the 54-year-old will not officially begin work at Man United until November 18.

Man United confirm Pochettino as their new head coach

Pochettino will therefore oversee USA's next two internationals against Haiti on November 14 and November 18 respectively.

"Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the Manchester United men’s head coach from 18 November," read a statement from the 20-time English champions.

"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."

According to The Sun, Man United sources have insisted that Pochettino is the only head coach that they spoke with directly, rejecting claims of a split in the camp.

On Thursday, reports claimed that Man United's co-chairman Avram Glazer had intervened to appoint Pochettino after rejecting Eddie Howe's arrival.

It was suggested that ex-Newcastle United manager Howe had been the favoured candidate of both director of football Jason Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada, but club sources insist that was not the case.

When do Man United return to action?

Pochettino will immediately be thrown in at the deep end at Man United, as he will have limited time to prepare the team for the trip to Liverpool in the Premier League on November 22.

The Red Devils have only picked up eight points from their opening 10 matches of the league season and are just one point off the bottom of the division.

Pochettino's first European clash in charge of Man United will be the clash with Sporting Lisbon in Portugal on November 25.