
If the current direction of travel is maintained then Michael Carrick will be sacked today as Manchester United head coach and Mauricio Pochettino installed at Old Trafford at some point over the next week.Carricks departure will bring an end to a fortnight of speculation over his future, along with media briefings and meetings in Monaco while, the man himself, shows up dutifully at Carrington to take training and attempt to lead a mutinous squad.Whatever his failings as a manager, Carrick deserved better than this grubby treatment from Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and Jim Ratcliffe.So, on to the next man and his attempts to turn round the tanker. Step forward Pochettino, a man who has come close to the United job several times before.But why on earth would he want to walk into this? Here are five reasons why he should stay clear.WORKING FOR THE THREE STOOGESThe chaotic and undignified manner of Carricks departure is a neat encapsulation of the way Ratcliffe, Berrada and Wilcox have operated at United. The lack of class is unbefitting Manchester United and should send red flags to any incomer. The trio continue to make the wrong calls on a staggeringly regular basis, displaying a level of incompetence that makes you query how they ever reached this level of prominence. From the hiring of Erik ten Hag, then extending his contract despite interviewing replacements, the appointment of Ruben Amorim, the decision to go with a caretaker manager in Carrick (when does that ever work long term), every single call has been wrong. And thats even before you get to Ratcliffes overall tenure that has included the redundancies of hundreds of loyal club employees and the alienating of fans due to draconian ticketing policies.SPECTRE OF GLAZERS LINGER OVER OLD TRAFFORDPochettino is a fine manager his record proves that. But, no matter what happens on the pitch, United will never feel a happy football club until the Glazers sell up. And with no sign of that happening, there will always be a disconnect between fans and ownership. As the manager and the man who has to face the media every week, Pochettino will be caught in the middle. At the first sign of trouble, the green and gold will reappear and the protests will start and he will be front and centre.A SQUAD THAT HAS SEEN OFF ANOTHER MANAGERYou almost have the admire the longevity of a group of players that have achieved very little. Ten Hag came and went following fall-outs with the likes of Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford. Amorim also tried to get rid of the England forward and reportedly had disagreements with Kobbie Mainoo. Carrick had a very public spat with captain Bruno Fernandes while Lisandro Martinez showed his contempt for the club by blasting the summer recruitment programme despite producing shocking individual performances on the pitch. Trying to get a dressing room of egos pulling in the same direction is not easy. You wouldnt mind quite so much if they could back it up with results but these players have won one league game this season and sit inside the Premier League relegation zone.A SQUAD THAT IS NOT EQUIPPED TO PLAY THE POCHETTINO WAYWind back to Pochettinos exciting Tottenham team that reached the 2019 Champions League final and you think high energy and high press. Full-backs Kieran Trippier and Danny Rose bombing forward, Dele Alli and Son Heung-min pressing high up the field and a world-class centre forward in Harry Kane. Compare that to the squad he will inherit at United. Diogo Dalot and veteran Luke Shaw have neither the energy, nor the quality of Trippier and Rose, there is no way Fernandes will press the way Son did and Uniteds expensive number nine Benjamin Sesko is an extremely poor relation to Kane, and spends most of his time on the treatment table. This squad needs a huge overhaul (again) but Wilcoxs record in the transfer market suggests he is not the man to do it. Pochettino fell out with the Chelsea owners over a lack input on transfers. Dont surprised if that happens again.WHY GIVE UP A GOOD THING?Pochettino signed a new, four-year contract with the United States Soccer Federation in August that was intended to provide stability and allow him to mould a squad for the 2030 World Cup. He was already making strides with his energetic young side reaching the round of 16 at this summers event, staged in the US, Mexico and Canada. Since then, he has introduced the likes of 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan, 17-year-old Mathis Albert with both youngsters getting their first goals in impressive wins over Chile and Mexico. The future looks bright. In addition, Pochettino has a nice lifestyle. He can travel round the States largely unnoticed, and also has the time and freedom to return to Argentina whenever he wants. Compare that to the goldfish bowl of Manchester and the enormous pressure of coaching a club of Uniteds stature. There is also the chance his reputation will be damaged by the mere association with United. Since Alex Ferguson left in 2013, the club has hired numerous big-name coaches: Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, David Moyes, etc and every single one left damaged, scarred by the experience. Topics Manchester United F.C. 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