📅 November 13, 2026
Pochettino in Tears: Leaving the USA for Man United Is the ‘Most Difficult Decision’ of His Career
Watch the video version of this story On @mavjonesdotcom, in about a minute. ▶ Play on TikTok
Mauricio Pochettino is Manchester United’s new head coach, and the first time he spoke about it he was close to tears. Hours after United confirmed the appointment on Friday, he sat in front of the press as head coach of the United States, the day before a Nations League quarter-final against Haiti, and called leaving “one of the most difficult decisions” of his career.
United’s statement says Pochettino “has agreed to become the Manchester United men’s head coach from 18 November,” and that the club has reached an agreement with U.S. Soccer for him and his staff to be released once their USA duties are done. That means two more games first: Haiti on Saturday and again on Tuesday. His first match in charge of United is Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday 22 November.
▶ Follow @mavjonesdotcom on TikTok
“A very emotional guy”
He struggled to get through his opening remarks, telling reporters he’s “a very emotional guy.” Then he turned to his players and staff: “I want to say thank you so much for the last two years. You made me feel really happy sharing an amazing project. It’s difficult now for me to finish.”
He was honest about the pull in both directions. He called it a sad decision, but added that “we are trying to make our dreams come true.” According to AFP, he said things moved fast: the USA squad arrived last Friday, contact over United started on Sunday afternoon, and he told the players once the agreement was reached.
The 2030 contract
The awkward part is the timing. Pochettino extended his USA contract in August, after taking the co-hosts to the World Cup last 16, to run through the 2030 World Cup. Three months later he’s gone.
He insisted the extension was a genuine commitment, and said he’d never been angling for a move. “I never said I wanted to go back,” he said, as reported by both AFP and the BBC, adding that opportunities with a club like Manchester United don’t come often and are hard to turn down.
That sits a little uneasily with what he told The Overlap in April, when Gary Neville and Roy Keane were at the table. Asked whether he’d come back to England, he said: “One day, yes, because I really like England.” It’s not a contradiction exactly, since he didn’t say when. But don’t expect USA supporters to see it that way.
What he’s taking on
He walks into the job Michael Carrick was sacked from on Thursday: United 18th, one league win from ten, one point off safety. His first four games are Liverpool away, Sporting away in the Champions League, Brentford at home and Newcastle away, inside eleven days.
The Press Association and The Athletic report a two-and-a-half-year contract, to the summer of 2029. The club’s statement doesn’t give a length. United will pay the release clause in his USA deal, which ESPN put at $10m (£7m) on Thursday.
Our view
The tears looked real, and that’ll count for something with United fans who’ve watched too many managers arrive with a script. He’s leaving a project he plainly cared about to take one of the hardest jobs in football, with four days on the training ground before Anfield. If he can bring half that emotion into the dressing room at Carrington, it’s a start.
▶ Follow @mavjonesdotcom on TikTok
Sources: Manchester United’s statement, as reported by Yahoo Sports (12:15 UTC, 13 Nov). Pochettino’s quotes as reported by AFP via Yahoo Sports, dpa via Yahoo Sports and Football Muse via Yahoo Sports; only wording that at least two of them share is quoted. “I never said I wanted to go back” via AFP (also carried by France 24) and the BBC. The Overlap quote via beIN Sports and Hooligan Soccer (April 2026). Contract length as reported by the Press Association and The Athletic. Release clause from ESPN (12 Nov). The table from ESPN. Our view is our own.