Mauricio Pochettino, Manchester United Reportedly Agree to Contract as Michael Carrick's Replacement

Manchester United has reportedly finalized terms on a contract with United States men's national team coach Mauricio Pochettino.

The Athletic's David Ornstein reported Pochettino and the club have agreed on a contract until the summer of 2029, with his arrival expected ahead of the Nov. 22 match against Liverpool, one of the Red Devils' biggest rivals.

As for Pochettino's replacement, former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is a reported target, and U.S. Soccer is bound to evaluate the best tacticians in MLS.

Even before United officially sacked Michael Carrick, Pochettino emerged as the favorite to take over, and an agreement looked like a foregone conclusion.

Pochettino had a hugely successful spell at Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs were runners-up in the 2018-19 Champions League final. In the previous three seasons, the finished third, second and third in the Premier League.

Pochettino was sacked in November 2019, and Tottenham has spent the intervening years chasing the heights it enjoyed during his tenure.

Beyond just the results, the 54-year-old had Spurs playing an entertaining style built around younger stars, many of whom had risen up the youth ranks.

One source of concern is that Pochettino, like Tottenham, is to some degree still trying to equal what he achieved in North London. He won a Ligue 1 title in 2021-22 with Paris Saint-Germain but clashed with some of the biggest stars. He proved to be an equally poor fit at Chelsea and left after just one season.

The memory of Pochettino a lot of fans in England have may not be the manager he is now.

The wider question is whether Manchester United is too big of a job for almost anyone right now.

It's difficult to say anything new regarding the cycle of dysfunction that started the moment Sir Alex Ferguson retired in May 2013.

The players have changed. The managers have changed. There's even a new voice at ownership level guiding the football decisions. And still, the same problems have plagued United time and again.

Center back Lisandro Martínez summed it up with his viral post-match interview following a 2-0 defeat to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League:

It all stems from the top, but the managerial turnover is where the issues are the most acute. Countless millions have been spent on transfers tailored to one specific coach, only for a new coach to come in shortly thereafter and make those players poorly suited for the way he wants to play.

Director of football Jason Wilcox hasn't exactly made a strong account of himself, either, given the general state of the squad. He hasn't built up enough trust to think he could oversee a total overhaul of the team, if one is preferred by Pochettino.

One can see the allure of the Manchester United job given the club's place within world football. Without the necessary structural change, Pochettino may be doomed by the same factors that have felled his predecessors.