Mauricio Pochettino tells US Soccer he wants Manchester United job as Berrada moves to trigger release clause after Haiti ties

United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino has formally informed the U.S. Soccer Federation that he wants to become Manchester United’s next manager, with Old Trafford chief executive Omar Berrada moving on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, to activate his release clause after USA’s Nations League ties against Haiti.

Key timeline and contract details on Pochettino to Manchester United

• Player and federation notice: Pochettino notified U.S. Soccer officials of his desire to return to the Premier League just three months after signing an August extension to lead the Americans through the 2030 World Cup.
• Release-clause trigger: Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada contacted U.S. Soccer directly to confirm and activate a contractual buyout clause reported between £7 million and £7.5 million (roughly $10 million).
• Final USMNT matches: Out of respect for U.S. Soccer’s international window, United expect Pochettino to remain on the touchline for the USMNT’s two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Haiti on Saturday and Tuesday.
• Carrington arrival date: Under the finalized schedule, Pochettino and his coaching staff are penciled in to arrive in Manchester to lead first-team training on Wednesday, Nov. 18, or Thursday, Nov. 19.
• First Premier League fixture: Pochettino’s debut in the Old Trafford dugout is set to be an away trip to arch-rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, Nov. 22, with United sitting 18th on 8 points from 10 games.

How did Manchester United close in on Mauricio Pochettino so quickly?

Old Trafford’s rapid move stands in sharp contrast to past managerial searches that dragged on for weeks under interim caretakers. Following Wednesday’s Monaco summit with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Thursday morning’s formal dismissal of Michael Carrick alongside assistants Steve Holland, Jonathan Woodgate, and Jonny Evans, Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox already had personal framework terms effectively settled with Pochettino’s camp.

Although Pochettino had committed to U.S. Soccer through 2030 as recently as August, the inclusion of a fixed ~$10 million release mechanism gave INEOS a clean legal pathway to extract their long-admired target without drawn-out club-to-club haggling of the kind Newcastle United would have demanded for Eddie Howe.

The appointment will mark the 54-year-old Argentine’s fourth Premier League post following transformative spells at Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur and a season at Chelsea, alongside his stint in charge of Paris Saint-Germain.

Why is Pochettino staying for USA’s CONCACAF Nations League ties vs. Haiti?

Rather than walking out on the U.S. squad 24 hours before competitive knockout fixtures, both Manchester United and Pochettino agreed to let him oversee Friday’s pre-match media duties and guide the Americans through their two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal tie against Haiti concluding Tuesday night.

With most of Manchester United’s senior squad away on November international duty anyway, waiting until Nov. 18–19 costs Pochettino minimal club training time while preserving goodwill with U.S. Soccer—handing the Argentine three full sessions at Carrington with returning internationals before walking out at Anfield on Nov. 22 tasked with lifting United out of the Premier League relegation zone after their worst 10-game start in 40 years.