Manchester United are set to sack Michael Carrick as manager, and Mauricio Pochettino is a leading contender to replace him in the dugout.

GIVEMESPORT sources understand the Argentine, who is currently the manager of the United States national team and signed a new contract until 2030 during the summer, has a release clause worth around $10m (£7.4m), and he is one of the top candidates to replace the iconic former midfielder.

United have won just one of their ten Premier League games this season and find themselves in 18th place following a dramatic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa prior to the international break, making a change of manager a necessity, despite Carrick only signing a two-year contract at the end of last season.

Pochettino is someone that has been looked at for several years at Manchester United as a potential manager. He was considered as an option to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim, but the club always opted for alternative options.

However, it now seems as though a deal could be done to bring the 54-year-old into Old Trafford. Pochettino is best known for his time at Tottenham, where he built a squad that reached the Champions League final and finished second in the Premier League.

The keys to that team was the foursome of Christian Eriksen, Heung-Min Son, Dele Alli, and Harry Kane, who were the most important cogs in the machine and regularly combined to win games for the team. The former PSG star is always keen to rebuild those relationships and find players wherever he goes who can take up that responsibility.

At PSG he had Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe. At Chelsea he had Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson working in tandem ahead of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. At Man Utd he has got an abundance of quality in attack, but there is one star who he could be ready to hand a big opportunity too in the starting lineup.

Carrick has so far preferred to use Amad, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko as his forward options, while Marcus Rashford featured heavily too before his recent hip issue. But in recent weeks, youngster Shea Lacey has been turning in some of the more impressive performances.

Against AS Roma he came off the bench to supply an assist as the team came from 2-0 down to win 3-2, and in his only start this season against Brighton in the EFL Cup he scored the opening goal. Now it's time for him to be unleashed more regularly, and Pochettino is the perfect coach for that to happen.

Pochettino Will Love Lacey

Lacey is one of the most talented young academy stars to come out of Carrington in recent years, and it's clear that he is now ready to make an impact in the Premier League and Champions League.

The number ten role is taken by Bruno Fernandes, but with Amad having not scored a goal for almost an entire calendar year and Benjamin Sesko sidelined until the new year with a shin injury, there is a huge chance for Lacey to step up.

Much like Dele was at Spurs, Lacey is young, hungry, and incredibly talented. He has the technical attributes to hang at the top level, has the eye for a killer pass, knows how to finish, and is more than capable of handling himself physically too.

Pochettino has a reputation for using young players and helping to develop them, and Lacey could be the perfect project for him. If their relationship becomes anything like the one Poch and Dele had, then this could be the start of something magical at Old Trafford.