USMNT's Mauricio Pochettino, Manchester United Reportedly Have 'Mutual' Interest amid Carrick Rumors

While Michael Carrick technically remains the manager at Manchester United, the club may have already identified his successor.

Pablo Iglesias Maurer and Jamie Jackson of the Guardian reported Tuesday there's mutual interest between the Red Devils and United States men's national team coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Pochettino signed a new contract with U.S. Soccer this August, with the idea to keep him in the role through the 2030 World Cup. The Athletic's Paul Tenorio, Tom Bogert and Henry Bushnell reported the buyout "is in the ballpark of $10 million."

Jason Burt of the Telegraph reported that Pochettino "is in no rush to leave the U.S. team." However, he's hopeful of returning to club management at some point and has been intrigued in the past by the challenge of coaching Manchester United.

Having Pochettino leave three months after giving him an extension would be less than ideal for U.S. Soccer. Ripping the bandage off now might be better than the alternative, though.

Even if he stays, this is something that could hang over the national team over the next few years. If he decides to accept a club position at a later point, that's less time for a new coach to execute their plan for the World Cup.

Manchester United hiring Pochettino would carry risk for both sides.

The 54-year-old took Southampton to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League in 2013-14 before moving on to Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs were PL runners-up in 2016-17 and third in 2015-16 and 2017-18. They also reached the Champions League final in 2018-19, losing to Liverpool.

While at Tottenham, Pochettino excelled at player development and delivered an entertaining style on the pitch.

Pochettino's subsequent spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea were far less memorable. His time with the U.S. national team is following along the same lines. A lot of the excitement surrounding the United States' performance in the group stage dissipated after a 4-1 hammering by Belgium in the round of 16.

Much like when it appointed José Mourinho in 2016, Manchester United might be getting Pochettino at a point when he's no longer a world-class manager.

From the coach's perspective, he'd be exchanging the relative stability of his current job for one of the most fraught in the sport.

For more than a decade after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, United has been mired in a cycle of dysfunction. It was too much to overcome for experienced managers such as Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and David Moyes along with Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim, who built their profiles outside of England.

Given how far removed he is from his Tottenham peak, an underwhelming tenure at Manchester United could make it difficult for Pochettino to parachute into another major club.

In the event United officials look in another direction, ESPN's Rob Dawson reported in October that Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann could be serious candidates.