Glazers favour Mauricio Pochettino for Man United job, but Wilcox has someone else at the top of his list

Michael Carrick is a dead man walking at Carrington following Manchester United’s 4-4 draw at Aston Villa.

It has been widely reported that Carrick is at Carrington overseeing training sessions as usual, but at the same time, both Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada have reportedly made up their minds to pull the trigger on the head coach.

Yet, there is no official confirmation, as the pair still need approval from club owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family. However, that has not stopped United from searching for Carrick’s replacement.

Glazers want Mauricio Pochettino

Over the last 24 hours, Mauricio Pochettino has exploded into contention to become Manchester United’s next manager, overtaking the likes of Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann.

According to i Paper, Pochettino has “emerged as the frontrunner” to take over the helm and is the top pick of the club’s majority shareholders, the Glazer family.

It is understood that Pochettino has been interviewed by United twice previously, in 2018 and 2022, but the Premier League giants first picked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then gave Erik ten Hag an opportunity to take charge of the Red Devils.

“Two sources in the US, who have close working ties to Joel and Avram Glazer, the most active members of the family in United dealings, insist the Americans will not make the same mistake in overlooking Pochettino again,” the report states.

The 54-year-old’s stock has “grown markedly” in the country since becoming coach of the United States men’s national team two years ago. He guided them to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.

“The Glazers have very close ties to the billionaire hedge fund owner Ken Griffin, who helped finance Pochettino’s lucrative four-year deal he signed in the summer. Griffin and his Citadel company also provided funds for the Glazers’ leveraged takeover of United in 2005 and own a very small number of shares in the club,” the report adds.

Mauricio Pochettino open to Manchester United talks, but Wilcox eyeing someone else

The i Paper claims that Pochettino is happy in his current role but would be willing to hear United’s proposal.

His contract with the USMNT ties him to the job until 2030 and it would cost £7 million to release him from his agreement.

“There are doubts among several US-based insiders over whether Pochettino would leave the US job now,” the report notes.

However, aspirations to return to the Premier League have reportedly never gone away for Pochettino, who has had stints at Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea, and “there remains no bigger role in world football than trying to turn United around.”

Meanwhile, the outlet underlines that Howe and Nagelsmann are still very much in the running, with the former Newcastle United boss still the top pick of Wilcox, given his recent Premier League experience.

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