Kaveh Solhekol has questioned Manchester United’s pursuit of Mauricio Pochettino, arguing that the appointment, which would follow the planned removal of Michael Carrick, is not the best option available and points to deeper problems at Old Trafford. According to the reports, United have reached an agreement with the US national team to appoint Pochettino, and Carrick is already taking training.
Pochettino would not be among the top jobs
Solhekol believes Pochettino would not be the first choice for the biggest clubs in Europe. “I think he’s a very good manager, but would he be in the frame to get the Liverpool job if that was available?” he said. “Would he be in the frame to get the Arsenal job? Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, would they be looking at Mauricio Pochettino?”
He added that Pochettino did not get the Tottenham Hotspur job the last time it was available. Solhekol said that a short-term appointment could work, as the players would respond well to Pochettino calling the shots, but he hopes Pochettino understands the challenge if he becomes the next United manager in the long term.
Solhekol also pointed to managers with stronger records in English football. Eddie Howe has won a domestic trophy with Newcastle United, while Antonio Conte won the Premier League title in his first season at Chelsea. “So there are people out there who have a better track record than Pochettino,” he said.
He acknowledged Pochettino’s achievements. He did a good job at Southampton, where they finished eighth, and he took Tottenham close to the title and into the Champions League final. However, he won nothing in five seasons at Spurs. At Paris Saint-Germain, he had Neymar, Mbappé and Messi, and the club finished second in the season he was appointed in January. He was sacked by PSG, despite the club winning the title the following season and the French Cup under him. At Chelsea, he lasted one season and they finished sixth, despite winning their last five games.
Since then, Pochettino has managed the United States. Solhekol said he had watched some of the team’s games at the World Cup, where the home nation had a feel-good factor but were comprehensively outplayed by Belgium in the Round of 16. “So if you look at his CV, you would say Mauricio Pochettino is a very, very good manager,” Solhekol said. “But I think under normal circumstances, he would not now be getting one of the top jobs at the other biggest clubs in the world.”
They could have had him for nothing in the summer
Solhekol questioned the financial logic of the move. Since Sir Alex Ferguson left, he noted, United would have spent more than £100m hiring and firing managers if they dismiss Carrick and appoint Pochettino. Reports suggest United would have to pay $10m to secure Pochettino, yet his contract with the US national team expired in July. “Couldn’t they have had him for nothing in the summer?” Solhekol asked. He added that United had already appointed Carrick by then, and questioned whether the club would have known Pochettino was going to become available. “I’m just intrigued to know who at Manchester United is really pushing for Pochettino to get the job.”
Why is Carrick suffering in public?
Solhekol said the situation reflects poorly on the club and its treatment of Carrick, described as an incredible player and someone who is Manchester United through and through. “Most people in football will think this is a pretty shameful way to treat Michael Carrick,” he said. He questioned why the chief executive and director of football flew to Monaco to rubber-stamp the sacking when it is widely understood that Carrick is leaving and will be replaced by Pochettino. “I know this was a pre-arranged meeting about more than just Carrick, but it’s obvious this makes United look bad.”
Who is running the club?
Solhekol asked who is making the key decisions at United. Omar Berrada serves as chief executive and Jason Wilcox as director of football. Solhekol noted that many fans doubt whether both have enough experience for their roles at a club of United’s size.
INEOS and Jim Ratcliffe, who own around 30 per cent of the club, are responsible for football operations, but every decision must still be signed off by the Glazer family. “Will it be a unanimous decision to part ways with Carrick? Will it be a unanimous decision that they get Mauricio Pochettino?” Solhekol asked. “Is it the Glazer family? Is it Ratcliffe and Ineos? Is it Berrada and Wilcox?”
Ratcliffe has not fixed the structure
Solhekol argued that the Glazer family still hold more shares than Ratcliffe, so ultimately the club still belongs to them and they would expect a say in the appointment of the manager. He said they are watching Ratcliffe, who bought into the club and promised to take control of football operations, and that the results are not encouraging.
If Pochettino is appointed, he would be the fourth manager in three seasons under Ratcliffe. When Ratcliffe arrived, he said that one of the club’s big problems was hiring and firing too many managers, and that the fault lay with the club’s structure rather than the managers. “And that is something that he was going to sort out,” Solhekol said. “Obviously, looking from the outside in, he hasn’t done that so far.”