Mauricio Pochettino Confirmed as Manchester United Manager

Manchester United have confirmed that Mauricio Pochettino will become their manager on 18 November. He will replace Michael Carrick, taking charge of the team's selection and training.

The club has also agreed a contract with Pochettino running until June 2029, giving him a little under three years in the job. A manager's contract length matters because it signals how long the club expects to build around him, and how long he expects to have to show results.

Pochettino's style has been described by a former player. Toby Alderweireld, a central defender who spent four years under Pochettino at Tottenham Hotspur, told BBC Sport that the manager expects players to follow his team-first plan or risk being left out of the side.

Alderweireld also said that fitness and running sit at the top of Pochettino's list of demands. He called the pre-season, the training block that comes before a new campaign starts, brutal. Pre-season is when players build the stamina needed for a long season of matches, and Alderweireld's description suggests that work will be hard going for anyone in the squad.

For supporters, the appointment brings a new voice to the dressing room and a new set of expectations. United are one of the best-known clubs in world football, and whoever leads the team faces constant attention from fans, the media and the club's owners. Pochettino will take charge with the first home fixtures and the pressure of a new reign both still ahead.

Pochettino is known in English football for his time at Tottenham, where he built a team that played at a high tempo and pressed opponents hard. Pressing means chasing the ball high up the pitch as soon as it is lost, in the hope of winning it back quickly. Whether that approach can work at Old Trafford is the question United fans will be asking over the coming months.

The next step is the start of his work on 18 November, when he officially takes over from Carrick.