As Manchester United close in on the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach, Sports Mole's Football Editor Matt Law discusses the Argentine's suitability for the role with the 20-time English champions.

Matt Law, Football Editor: "I've always admired Pochettino"

It looks like Pochettino. But there are strong indications that the USA want him to remain in charge for the two games against Haiti, on November 14 and November 17.

United go to Liverpool on the 22nd in the Premier League, straight after the international break. So it's very interesting to see what happens now. 

I did see a report yesterday suggesting that Darren Fletcher may have another caretaker spell in charge just to take training. The players that are on international duty will return next week to prepare for that Liverpool game. 

If Pochettino is not there until after the second game against Haiti, he will have limited preparation time for that Liverpool game. 

So it'll be very interesting to see who takes training tomorrow, who takes it when the players are back in on Monday, and how that develops. 

Pochettino is a very interesting name, one that wasn't particularly in the forefront. I think interestingly, the people behind the scenes at United couldn't agree on Conte, Eddie Howe or Nagelsmann, whether they were quite right at this stage. 

I know Unai Emery is going to be signing a new deal with Villa, so that was always a no-go. Pochettino has gone from underdog with the bookies to the red-hot favourite. Personal terms are agreed. The compensation fee is around about £7.4m. 

Then there is an extra, I think, about $2m for the staff that he will want to bring with him, the ones that have been with him throughout his time in management.

For me, I've always admired Pochettino. He's always wanted the United job. He's been linked with it numerous times before. He's always had a feeling that he could do a good job at Manchester United. His record is good. He finished sixth at Chelsea. 

He won the league with PSG and finished second. Tottenham was really good, with a Champions League final, a second-place finish and then third a couple of times. 

At Southampton, the eighth place finish he had when he first came to English football was really good. His brand of football was also really good, and so was his way of developing young players and getting them playing for him. 

He's a serious coach. I think a lot of the criticism aimed at Carrick was almost like the boys' club mentality of "he's our mate, so he won't throw us under the bus". 

That is great, and I do appreciate that. But Pochettino is a strong-minded individual who won't be afraid to tell people how it is. He has been in big dressing rooms. He's managed big players. He won't be overawed by the size of the task. 

He'll know it's a big job. You get the feeling that he'll relish that challenge. He's not a young manager that's come in to prove his worth. He's 54. He's been around the block. He knows how it works. He's won big titles, and he's been in big games, so he knows exactly what's required. 

His win rate at Tottenham was 54%. At PSG it was 65%. At Chelsea it was around about 51%. So he had his issues at Chelsea, and I know a lot of Chelsea fans are critical of him. 

But Chelsea has been, for a while now, a difficult club to manage. So he had his problems there, but he also did a lot of good things at Chelsea. It was a really short spell at Stamford Bridge, 51 games. 

Ultimately he'll be keen to show that he can still operate at this level. He signed a new deal with the USA through to the 2030 World Cup. 

So it's a disappointment for them because I think they're going places. They've got some good young players and a good brand of football there. 

But he was never going to turn down the chance to manage Manchester United. It feels like it's been a long time coming with him.

There is always a hint of optimism, but guarded optimism is probably the right phrase, just because it's so difficult to know. 

History will tell you, certainly recent history, that it will ultimately probably go wrong at Manchester United. So guarded optimism would be the phrase I'd use at this stage. 

I'm looking forward to what it could bring, getting in place for the Liverpool game. The interesting thing for me is the next few days. How does that develop? Do we get Fletcher in to take training on an interim? It's a strange one while they wait for Pochettino. 

Bar a huge shock, he will be the next Manchester United manager. All guns ahead, all looking forward to that Liverpool game, which is a nice easy one to get going.