The Five Biggest Challenges Facing Mauricio Pochettino at Man Utd

Manchester United’s decade-long love affair with Mauricio Pochettino is no secret, and now they finally have their dream head coach in place following the 54-year-old’s appointment as Michael Carrick’s permanent successor.

The Argentine arrives with the immediate aim of extinguishing a growing dumpster fire at Old Trafford, and revitalizing the club’s rotten core is more than a one-man job. The Red Devils are deep in the mire, both on and off the field.

Progress will take time, something previous incumbents of his position have discovered the hard way, and there is already an abundance of hurdles blocking his path to success following United’s utterly disastrous beginning to the 2026–27 season.

With that in mind, here are the five biggest challenges facing the now ex-USMNT boss.

Raising Morale

Man Utd players — The Red Devils are at rock bottom. | Carl Recine/Getty Images

Where United’s current chapter ranks in the club’s growing novel of crises is up for debate, but they have reached no lower ebb during the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. With the club languishing in the relegation zone and having secured just three victories from the opening 15 matches of the season, Pochettino arrives with the unenviable assignment of lifting spirits inside a downbeat dressing room.

Even remarkable comebacks against Roma and Aston Villa in Carrick’s final two matches have been treated much like defeats. Many in red jerseys were too embarrassed to celebrate at the conclusion of the bizarre 4–4 draw with the Villans, which, in normal circumstances, would have yielded enjoyment following two stoppage-time strikes.

“I don’t feel happy—we are in a bad situation. We need to fight together to get out of it. Draw better than a loss but we had the better opportunities,” Patrick Dorgu fumed after the whistle, despite having just registered an assist and goal to spare United’s blushes—well, slightly.

It’s little surprise that this beleaguered crop of expensively assembled stars are despondent, and recent outbursts from Lisandro Martínez and Bruno Fernandes suggest that the anger is bubbling up with each passing setback.

How long will it take Pochettino to raise morale and instil confidence in his new players? Well, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea coach is a cheery personality and impressive man-manager, but he’s no miracle worker.

Fixing the Premier League’s Leakiest Defense

Lens (31), who recently shipped nine goals to Como in the Champions League, are the only team in Europe’s top five leagues to have conceded more times than United (30) this season. The Red Devils have the third-worst defensive record in the Premier League, too, and have conceded two or more goals in each of their previous five matches.

No rocket scientists were required to predict United’s struggles at the back before a ball was kicked—although the scale of the disaster remains shocking. The club’s decision to ignore defensive reinforcements in the transfer market, instead focusing on recruiting midfielders, was always likely to haunt them.

Entering the campaign with one senior left back, the injury-prone Luke Shaw, was unwise. Failing to upgrade the underwhelming Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui at right back was similarly foolish. And United certainly needed to strengthen at center back, especially considering two of their five mediocre options in the position are just 20 years old.

Unfortunately for Pochettino, he will have to wait until January for any defensive backups to arrive. For now, he’s tasked with organizing an atrocious rearguard which lacks quality, leadership and consistency.

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A Threadbare Squad

Benjamin Šeško has been sorely missed, with no reliable replacement available. | Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

United’s decision to reinforce their roster department by department has backfired spectacularly.

After reinventing the forward line last year, this summer was all about strengthening a midfield sorely lacking experience and defensive nous following Casemiro’s departure. However, their failure to sign any new defenders, an orthodox left winger or a proper substitute striker for Benjamin Šeško, whose untimely injury has caused major issues, was incredibly short-sighted.

Now, Pochettino inherits an unbalanced and under-resourced team, which will be expected to climb the Premier League standings and compete in the Champions League.

Fitness issues have already piled up during the first three months of the season. Šeško won’t return until January, meaning Joshua Zirkzee is the remaining center forward and is not comfortable as a natural No. 9, while Shaw’s absence leaves Dalot playing out of position at left back. There are problems in midfield, too, where Manuel Ugarte is out for the long term and Carlos Baleba is battling a hamstring problem, after already recovering from an ankle issue he had when he arrived.

More injuries will inevitably come as the workload increases around the busy Christmas period, and Pochettino will likely be forced into creative solutions to put out fires. It will be about surviving rather than thriving early in his reign.

Dealing With the Disorganized Hierarchy

Berrada and Wilcox — Omar Berrada (left) and Jason Wilcox (right) have come under fire recently. | Lewis Storey/Getty Images

Nobody can repair the relationship between United supporters and the club’s hierarchy. The ire directed at the Glazer family, INEOS and senior executives Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox will continue to be unrelenting, with Pochettino likely to be caught in the middle at one point or another.

Pochettino will be forced to have a close relationship with Wilcox, United’s director of football, who has been the subject of widespread criticism in recent times, ranging from fans to pundits—and, of course, Martínez. The man chiefly responsible for United’s haphazard recruitment since his arrival in 2024, initially as technical director, has proven an ill-advised hire thus far.

Wilcox epitomizes the chaotic and disorganized reign of INEOS, and Pochettino will soon discover why Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim and Carrick have all been undermined by those above them.

The Manchester United Curse

Michael Carrick — Carrick is not the first to struggle in the hot seat—and he might not be the last. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

As any followers of England’s national team will understand, some jobs in soccer are simply cursed.

In the 13 years since Ferguson’s departure, the United job has certainly proven a poisoned chalice, with an array of intelligent tacticians unable to steer the ship back into clear waters. José Mourinho came up short, as did Louis van Gaal. Ten Hag and Amorim were two of modern soccer’s rising managerial stars, yet their reputations tanked shortly after arriving in Manchester.

Even during United’s brighter spells, when confidence was high and results impressive, there was an inevitability about their eventual decline.

That’s the greatest challenge facing Pochettino, who must break the spell despite the club currently being engulfed in chaos, uncertainty and bitterness. That’s no mean feat, and there is no magic antidote for him to swig.

If he’s going to succeed with United, he will be forced to break free of the same old shackles.

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Raising Morale

Fixing the Premier League’s Leakiest Defense

MORE ON MAURICIO POCHETTINO’S ARRIVAL AT MAN UTD

A Threadbare Squad

Dealing With the Disorganized Hierarchy

The Manchester United Curse