Tearful Mauricio Pochettino breaks silence as Manchester United officially appoints him manager through 2029

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United ended years of pursuit on Friday morning by officially appointing United States men’s national team boss Mauricio Pochettino as its new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract running through June 2029—hours before an emotional Pochettino choked back tears at a stateside press conference addressing his abrupt exit.

In a formal statement released at 12:09 p.m. GMT (7:09 a.m. ET), the 20-time English champions confirmed they had reached a release agreement with the U.S. Soccer Federation for Pochettino and his backroom staff to take charge at Old Trafford on Wednesday, Nov. 18, following Thursday’s dismissal of head coach Michael Carrick.

Tears at U.S. camp before two farewell matches against Haiti

Stepping before reporters on Friday morning ahead of Saturday’s Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal opener against Haiti, the 54-year-old Argentine visibly welled up within minutes of taking his seat as he thanked American players, federation staff, and supporters.

“A big thank you from my heart,” Pochettino said, pausing to compose himself. In an accompanying written farewell, he called representing the U.S. crest one of the greatest honors of his career—even though his departure arrives barely three months after he signed a contract extension through 2030 following America’s Round of 16 finish at this summer’s World Cup.

Under the terms negotiated between Old Trafford chief executive Omar Berrada, sporting director Jason Wilcox, and U.S. Soccer leadership—after Pochettino informed federation officials earlier this week that he wanted the Manchester United job—United triggered a buyout clause worth roughly $10 million (£7.5 million), with total compensation for Pochettino and assistants Jesús Pérez, Miguel D’Agostino, goalkeeping coach Antonio Jiménez, strength coach Silvia Tuyà Viñas, and sports scientist Sebastiano Pochettino topping £10 million.

Pochettino insisted his U.S. squad remained supportive of the arrangement allowing him to coach both legs against Haiti on Saturday and Tuesday before boarding a flight to Manchester. U.S. women’s national team manager Emma Hayes is already assisting federation executives in identifying his permanent successor.

Relegation crisis and an immediate baptism at Anfield

Wait-and-see patience will be nonexistent once Pochettino walks into United’s Carrington training complex next week as the club’s 13th permanent or interim boss since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

United currently sits 18th in the Premier League relegation zone with just eight points and a single victory through 10 league matches, having failed to record a single clean sheet all campaign. Four days after Pochettino takes his first training session, the former Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea tactician will step directly into English soccer’s fiercest cauldron on Sunday, Nov. 22—an away trip to arch-rival Liverpool at Anfield, followed immediately by a Champions League test at Sporting Lisbon and his Old Trafford home debut against Brentford.