It is the start of a new era at Manchester United. We've all been here before haven't we? On Friday, Mauricio Pochettino's appointment as manager was officially confirmed, having been inevitable all week. He will oversee the United States' two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final against Haiti, taking place on Saturday and Tuesday, before arriving at Carrington next week.
Whether or not the 54 year old Argentine is the man to turn the Red Devils around, who knows. His first game in charge is the small matter of a trip to Anfield next Sunday. Dave Sexton in 1977 is the only previous Man United manager to take charge of their first game against Liverpool, this the Charity Shield, a match that finished goalless; they'd almost certainly settle for a repeat on Merseyside.
Like Sexton, Pochettino is of course a former Chelsea manager, winning his final five Premier League matches, a streak he will do well to continue.
Since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, Pochettino will become the 12th man to take charge of a Manchester United match, including caretakers Ryan Giggs, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Darren Fletcher. So, how does that compare to other Premier League clubs during the same timeframe?
Premier League clubs: Managers including interims since 2013/14
Clubs | Managers since 2013/14 |
|---|---|
Chelsea | 14 |
Crystal Palace | 13 |
Manchester United | 12 |
Everton | 12 |
Tottenham Hotspur | 12 |
Newcastle United | 9 |
West Ham United | 8 |
Aston Villa | 8 |
Liverpool | 4 |
Arsenal | 4 |
Manchester City | 3 |
Worth noting that, Crystal Palace's tally of 13 includes the incoming Thomas Frank, who is set to replace Pierre Sage. Even so, since Ferguson's departure, Man United have now had the same number of managers as Everton and Tottenham, as well as more than Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City combined.
Chelsea, unsurprisingly, lead the way int his regard, having had nine since BlueCo's takeover in 2022 alone. This of course includes Pochettino, who led the Blues to a sixth place finish in 2023/24, as well as the FA Cup semi-finals and the EFL Cup Final.
Well, with Manchester United currently in the relegation zone, a season like that would represent a massive success. In the Red Devils' illustrious history, they have won 68 major honours, of which 38 were picked up by Ferguson as well as 13 during Sir Matt Busby's famous tenure. Only those two, as well as Ernest Mangnall in the early 20th century, have ever led Man United to a league title.
Thus, this is to say the club's history is built on stability and long managerial tenures, something they have certainly not had for the last decade or so. Will that change under Pochettino? Probably not, but fans can hope, can't they?
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