Manchester United
Carrick entrusted to deliver Project 150 after permanent appointment
Carrick’s permanent role ties him to Project 150 as United recover from a 51-year low in 2025/26 UK.
Michael Carrick’s contract through the end of the 2027–28 season formalises what the club quietly signalled: he is the manager tasked with delivering ‘Project 150’. That responsibility arrives after a turbulent period in which United fell to 15th in the Premier League last season, yet the board retained the original ambition. When questioned about the plan in the summer of 2025, Berrada told the fanzine United We Stand: “Why not aim for it?” and added, “Why not do everything in our power? I firmly believe we can do it.” He later reminded supporters that there would be “two or three summer transfer windows” available to execute the plan.
Carrick’s first run as permanent manager offers evidence that the project is not merely aspirational. With the same squad that struggled for consistency under Ruben Amorim, United have taken more points from their first 16 matches in charge than any other Premier League team across the equivalent period. That run has produced an average of 2.25 points per game, a rate that projects to 85.5 over a full season. For context, champion Arsenal’s maximum tally will be 85.
There are clear reasons for optimism: the squad has improved markedly from a 51-year low recorded 12 months earlier, and recent signings brought in for Amorim — Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Šeško and Senne Lammens — have all “made a substantially positive difference working to Carrick’s instruction.”
Carrick’s profile is rooted in long association with the club. Born and raised in suburban Newcastle and first established in east London, he arrived at Old Trafford in 2006 and said he “felt the magic of Manchester United” from his first visit. He featured in teams that won back-to-back-to-back Premier League titles, won the Champions League and reached two other finals. He won the club Players’ Player of the Year in the ‘Van Persie’ season, became captain, completed 464 appearances, joined the staff and, by December 2021, after a three-match spell as caretaker boss, left to begin his managerial career having spent more than 15 years at the club.
On his appointment he said, “I know what it takes and hopefully I can give that experience a little bit to the players and they can feed off it, and we can keep pushing for more.” The comparison with other managerial trajectories in the game underlines the view that internal knowledge can matter when executing a long-term project.
Manchester United
United move toward Pochettino as Carrick’s future stays unresolved
United are moving toward Pochettino while Carrick remains in charge and the decision is unfinished.
Manchester United are said to be edging closer to appointing Mauricio Pochettino, even though the club has not yet completed the process of deciding whether to remove current manager Michael Carrick.
According to reports, chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox have already concluded that a change is needed. The pair, after celebrating United’s stoppage-time equalizer against Aston Villa on Sunday, then travelled to Monaco to present their position to co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The steps required to settle Carrick’s fate remain in motion.
United’s preference, however, has become clear. The Athletic reports that Pochettino is the leading candidate and is now in advanced negotiations with the club. Other names, including Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte, had been discussed, but Pochettino is viewed as the preferred option.
United still have to agree terms with the former Tottenham Hotspur boss and have not yet spoken to U.S. Soccer, which suggests the talks are being handled carefully. Mike Keegan of The Overlap has reported that there is discussion over whether Pochettino will remain in charge of the USMNT for their two upcoming Nations League quarterfinal matches against Haiti this month before moving on to United for the trip to Liverpool on Nov. 22.
It has also been widely reported that United would need to pay around $10 million to release Pochettino from his USMNT agreement, with “millions more” potentially required to bring his trusted assistants with him. One of those assistants, Jesús Pérez, was previously involved in a trip to Manchester to visit the National Football Museum during time off while the pair were at Tottenham Hotspur.
During a World Cup media session over the summer, Pochettino joked to Pérez: “One day your dream comes true. You go to Manchester United.” Pérez replied: “United should have got you.” Pochettino answered: “Future, future!”
For now, Carrick is still employed by Manchester United. He took training on Tuesday and Wednesday as normal, arriving early to oversee work for players not on international duty.
Manchester United
Pochettino’s United links could leave USMNT facing an abrupt reset
A possible United move for Pochettino would force the USMNT into an abrupt and risky reset.
Mauricio Pochettino’s unexpected link to the Manchester United job would carry consequences well beyond Old Trafford. The Argentine only recently committed to the USMNT with a contract extension through the 2030 World Cup, yet a release clause in that deal could still give him a route back into club management in England.
In April, Pochettino made clear how strongly he felt about a Premier League return. “One day, yes because I really like England,” Mauricio Pochettino said when asked if he wanted to go back. “I think my human profile and coach profile match very well with the Premier League and with the culture, the idea, the idiosyncrasy and the philosophy.”
Four months later, he extended his stay with the United States, but reports now suggest the door to Manchester has opened. Michael Carrick is reportedly set to be fired before domestic action resumes in two weeks, and Pochettino has emerged as an unexpected frontrunner.
For U.S. Soccer, the timing would be awkward at best. Pochettino only led the team through a strong fall window, winning all four games against Chile, Peru, Mexico and Canada. He then steered the side into the next phase of preparations, where the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti are due in November.
If he were to leave now, the Americans would be left answering questions about his future while trying to focus on the pitch. More importantly, they would be forced into a sudden change of direction without a clear succession plan.
That would be a sharp contrast to the progress made under Pochettino. The USMNT developed a harder edge during the World Cup, playing with aggression, control and intensity. That identity grew stronger during the autumn internationals, even with a number of new faces involved.
His new contract also tied him to the federation’s youth work. “We are excited by the opportunity to bring all our experience and knowledge to even more areas of U.S. Soccer while helping strengthen the pathways for players, coaches and teams across the federation,” Pochettino said upon signing his new deal in August.
U.S. Soccer CEO and secretary general JT Batson added: “Mauricio and his staff believe in the future of soccer in the United States and our new project allows us to build on progress of the USMNT and the momentum of U.S. Soccer.”
That wider commitment has already been reflected in his selections, with 13 uncapped players called up for the fall friendlies, including eight teenagers. Cavan Sullivan, Julian Hall and Justin Ellis all impressed enough to remain in the picture for November, underlining how central Pochettino is to the next stage of the project.
Aston Villa
United’s next manager could cost far less, or far more, depending on the route chosen
United could pay $10m for Pochettino, or nothing for other out-of-work candidates.
Manchester United are weighing up a managerial appointment where the fee may matter almost as much as the candidate. Mauricio Pochettino would reportedly cost more than $10 million to be prised from his U.S. men’s national team deal, but he is not the most expensive option on the club’s radar.
The issue reflects a familiar theme at Old Trafford. Since Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s spell ended early in 2021-22, after successive third and second-place Premier League finishes, four semifinals and a final, United have repeatedly found that changing manager carries a sizeable bill. That has been a difficult pattern at a time when other costs have generally been reduced.
Erik ten Hag did deliver trophies, winning the Carabao Cup in 2022-23 and the FA Cup in 2023-24. That placed him among only six managers in the club’s history to have won two trophies. Even so, United considered replacing him in the summer of 2024, then extended his contract before dismissing him within four months at a cost of £14.5 million ($19.5 million at today’s rate). Ruben Amorim’s move from Sporting CP cost £11 million ($14.8 million), and his departure after 14 months added another £16 million ($21.5 million).
Carrick represented the opposite end of the scale. When he returned to Old Trafford as interim manager last January, he was unattached, so the club paid nothing to appoint him. His salary is believed to be lower than those of his two most recent predecessors, which would also limit any future payout. If he were to lose his job, the final figure would only be confirmed when United’s 2026-27 accounts are published towards the end of next year.
Pochettino signed his U.S. Soccer agreement in August after his previous terms expired at the end of the 2026 World Cup. The Athletic reports a $10 million buyout, with “millions more dollars” required to bring his coaching staff as well.
Unai Emery would be pricier still. The Telegraph has reported Aston Villa would ask for £20 million ($26.9 million), while Eddie Howe’s compensation is falling from £6 million in the summer to around £3 million ($4 million) by the end of October. Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte would cost nothing.
