USMNT Want Pep Guardiola As Mauricio Pochettino Nears Man Utd Job

GIVEMESPORT understands that Michael Carrick will likely be informed tomorrow (Thursday, 12 November) that he has been sacked from his position as Manchester United head coach. It looks as though Mauricio Pochettino will take over at Old Trafford.

The Argentine has past Premier League experience, having coached London clubs Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. Pochettino – who has been linked with the role since 2019 – wants the job, and it’s understood that terms are now being finalised to bring him back to England.

However, he is currenlty in charge of the United States men’s national team and will need to be replaced if a move to Man Utd is completed. With that in mind, it appears as though US soccer are now planning a highly ambitious move.

While Pochettino only signed a new long-term contract with the USMNT after the 2026 World Cup, GMS understands that the deal contains a $10m (£7.4m) release clause. That compensation will leave the US with a fair bit of cash splashing about as they look to hire their next manager.

Landing Pochettino in 2024, off the back of spells at European powerhouses Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, was seen as highly ambitious at the time, but their next move could top even that.

US Soccer Put Pep Guardiola On Radar

Reuters/Peter Cziborra

GMS understands US soccer want Pep Guardiola as their next men’s national team coach. The Catalan is among the greatest managers of all time, but is currently out of work, having left Manchester City in the summer.

He spent a decade in England, from 2016 to 2026, winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League. It’s worth noting that Guardiola’s tenure partially overlapped with the period in which Man City were found to have breached Premier League financial rules (2009 to 2018), which may diminish some of his achievements.

Even so, the 55-year-old remains one of the best managers in world football, having also enjoyed considerable success at past clubs. His Barcelona side, with MLS star Lionel Messi, between 2009 and 2011 is widely regarded as the greatest football team of all time.

Pochettino Closes in on Move to Man Utd

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Blake Dahlin

It probably bodes well for Man Utd that the USMNT are already weighing up options to replace Pochettino, with that sort of movement suggesting the Argentine’s move to Old Trafford will be greenlit in the near future.

However, the US are likely to face one major issue in any pursuit of Guardiola. The iconic manager is currently on a break from football, and it’s unclear when he wants to return to the dugout. Italy approached him to take over as their manager earlier in 2026, but were rejected.

At the time, Italian football federation president Giovanni Malago told La Repubblica (Via The Athletic): “Pep was honest. He took a sabbatical, partly for family reasons, but if he’d done anything, he would have done it with us.”

It remains to be seen if Guardiola’s stance has softened in the time since.

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