Mauricio Pochettino has agreed a deal to become Manchester United's next head coach, according to Sky Sports, with a formal announcement expected on Friday.

The 54-year-old Argentine is expected to sign a two-and-a-half-year contract at Old Trafford, running until the summer of 2029, after United moved quickly to replace Michael Carrick.

Carrick was sacked on Thursday after United won only one of their first 10 Premier League games this season, leaving the club 18th in the table. He had been appointed in January 2026 on a contract until the end of the season.

Release clause and handover

Pochettino is currently head coach of the United States, and United are reported to be paying the release clause in his USA contract, worth around £7 million. Reports in the United States put the figure at $10 million, with further money due to release members of his staff.

He will remain with the USA for their two games against Haiti, on Saturday and next Wednesday, before taking charge at Old Trafford. His first match in charge of United is expected to be the trip to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday 22 November.

Sky Sports reports that United reached a verbal agreement with Pochettino while Carrick was still taking training on Wednesday, and that the club's hierarchy had been given positive signals from the Pochettino camp about his desire to take the job. United had not officially confirmed the appointment by Friday morning.

Long-standing target

Pochettino has been admired at Old Trafford for years. United's bosses spoke to him in the summer of 2024, after he left Chelsea, when they were considering a replacement for Erik ten Hag, but decided at the time that the timing was not right for either side.

He went on to take charge of the United States, and US Soccer announced in August that his contract had been extended through 2030, with his responsibilities widened to cover youth development and coaching education.

The picture changed in recent weeks. Once United were told about the buy-out clause in his US contract, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox decided the timing was right, and their first direct contact with Pochettino came on Tuesday night, around the same time as an official approach to the United States Soccer Federation.

What comes next

Pochettino previously managed Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, and took Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019. He will become United's eighth permanent appointment since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

He inherits a side in the relegation zone after a difficult start to the season, with the Liverpool trip followed by a run of fixtures that will test whether he can steady the club before the January transfer window. The formal announcement, expected on Friday, will set out when he takes charge and who joins his backroom team.