Manchester United are closing in on a deal to make Mauricio Pochettino their head coach, the Guardian reported on Wednesday. The deal depends on Michael Carrick being sacked. The Daily Nation also reported that Pochettino is the favourite for the job.
Director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada have recommended Carrick's sacking to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, according to the Guardian. The pair are meeting Ratcliffe in Monaco to tell him Carrick should go. Ratcliffe is a minority owner but controls United's sporting policy.
A United board meeting is set for Wednesday. One or more of the six Glazer siblings, the majority owners, will be represented. The Guardian said club executives and Carrick's camp both expect the board to ratify the sacking, followed by an announcement.
Pochettino currently coaches the US men's national team but wants the United job, the Guardian reported. His contract has a release clause of about $10 million (£7.5 million). United would pay more if he brings his own staff. That includes Jesús Pérez, his assistant of 16 years. United players increasingly expect Carrick to go and Pochettino to replace him, the paper said.
Pochettino has Premier League experience with Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea. He is due to lead the US against Haiti in the Concacaf Nations League on Saturday in Miami and on Wednesday in Cincinnati. These are the team's first competitive games of the 2030 World Cup qualifying cycle.
United sit 18th, in the relegation zone. Carrick, 45, has won only one league game, against Ipswich in August, and three in all competitions. Brighton knocked United out of the Carabao Cup in September.