Mauricio Pochettino has been named as the new Manchester United head coach as he replaces Michael Carrick at Old Trafford

Mauricio Pochettino will only be able to bring in one of the two changes Roy Keane wants to see at Manchester United. Pochettino was appointed as the new head coach on Friday after the club splashed out £7million to replace the sacked Michael Carrick.

His first match will come against rivals Liverpool at Anfield on 22 November. He will, though, first take charge of USA’s two matches vs Haiti over the international break before hooking up with his new charges at Carrington.

One of Pochettino’s first tasks at United will be to steer the team away from the bottom three positions in the Premier League. They currently sit in 18th place in the table, one point adrift of both Coventry City and Nottingham Forest, having won just one of their 10 league matches this term.

Speaking on ITV’s coverage of England’s Nations League clash vs Croatia, Keane outlined what Pochettino needs to change at United: “The players, of course,” he said.

“The players have to have a good look at themselves because it’s the manager who pays the price.

“And long term they have to change the ownership of the club. But the players have to do a lot better.

“They’ve got to work harder and they’ve got to have a bit more pride in their play. There needs to be more desire not just in possession but out of it too because they’re very, very easy to play against.

“If you’re a professional footballer and people think it’s easy to play against you, that’s the biggest insult.”

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Pochettino’s arrival could have an impact on the squad. His style is known for being high-energy, which the players will have to adapt to.

But the new manager won’t be able to influence who owns the club or any potential sale. There have been fan protests towards the hierarchy in the last couple of games, and it could continue despite the change in manager.

The comments from Keane come just a few hours after United’s ownership was slammed by the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust. The Trust responded to Carrick’s sacking on Thursday.

In a scathing statement, they said: "The reason Manchester United fans have continued to support Michael Carrick in recent weeks is that they know that responsibility for United’s problems do not primarily rest with him or indeed his predecessors as manager.

"They lie with the ownership. The Glazers’ debt-funded takeover continues to burden the club. When INEOS came in they promised sporting excellence, but yet with repeated changes in football leadership we have seen anything but.

"It is time for the owners to explain themselves and show some accountability.”

United are owned by the Glazer family, who are the majority shareholders, and have owned the club since 2005. Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought a minority stake in December 2023 and has come under fire for overseeing brutal cuts and a downfall on the pitch.