Mauricio Pochettino is set to replace Michael Carrick as Manchester United manager following the 45-year-old’s sacking on Thursday morning.

The club tried to afford Carrick more time to turn things around, but with the team sitting in the relegation zone 10 games into the season, they felt they had no choice but to relieve him of his duties in the end.

Now that United have dismissed Carrick, Pochettino will finally get the opportunity to manage the Red Devils after years of being linked with the Old Trafford hot seat. It will see the Argentine leave his post as USA coach and return to the Premier League.

His last stint in England was with Chelsea, where he spent one season. His win rate in the Premier League that year makes for very interesting reading, especially compared to Carrick’s.

In that 38-game campaign, Pochettino oversaw 18 wins, nine draws and 11 losses, giving him a win rate of just 47.37%. Carrick never got the opportunity to manage United for a full season after replacing Ruben Amorim midway through the previous campaign, but his win rate is actually slightly higher than Pochettino’s at Chelsea!

While United manager, Carrick won 14 Premier League games, drew nine and lost six. It means he leaves Old Trafford with a win rate of 48.28%.

In Pochettino’s defence, Chelsea were an absolute mess when he took over. In the end, he probably did quite a good job there.

The 54-year-old took the Blues from 12th to sixth, getting them back into Europe. He also developed the likes of Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke and Malo Gusto.

Considering that, there is reason for United fans to be optimistic about Pochettino’s appointment. The Red Devils are perhaps in even more of a mess than Chelsea were when Pochettino went there. But United definitely have a more experienced team and a better overall attack than Chelsea’s frontline from the 2023/24 season.

Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha are proven Premier League forwards who just need to find some consistency again. Add Bruno Fernandes to the mix, and you are looking at one of the best counter-attacking teams in England, even if we have not seen that this term.

One of the biggest pluses of hiring Pochettino is his ability to potentially transform United into a more aggressive, cohesive pressing side. It was a long time ago now, but his Tottenham Hotspur team regularly used an intense high press, quick transitions and overlapping full-backs to create attacking opportunities.

With players such as Fernandes, Mbeumo and Cunha, United have the technical quality and pace to thrive in his system. The key will be whether Pochettino can restore their confidence, improve their defensive organisation and get the team pressing collectively rather than solely relying on individual quality.

Ultimately, Pochettino’s win rate at Chelsea may have been slightly lower than Carrick’s at United, but the ex-Spurs boss will have a more ready-made team at Old Trafford. There is potential for him to surpass both his win rate at Stamford Bridge and Carrick’s at United.