Manchester United are planning for life after Michael Carrick, and Mauricio Pochettino is the man they are looking to make their next manager.

The Red Devils have won just three of their 14 games in all competitions, including just one of their 10 Premier League games, leaving them 18th in the table heading into the November international break - their worst ever start to a Premier League season.

That form is set to see Carrick sacked, with GIVEMESPORT sources understanding that Sir Jim Ratcliffe will head a meeting in Monaco in Wednesday where his future will be confirmed one way or another. Former Spurs boss Pochettino is considered to be a leading target to replace him, with the USA boss having a $10m (£7.4m) release clause in his contract that would make him available immediately.

During his time in north London, Pochettino rebuilt the squad and saw them reach an EFL Cup and Champions League final, while they also finished second in the Premier League.

A large part of that success was the partnerships he created all over the pitch, with the most notorious being between Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane. The duo have combined for more Premier League goals than any other pairing in competition history, and most of those came under Pochettino's tutelage.

At Chelsea, Pochettino also managed to create a brilliant partnership between Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson to help the team qualify for the Champions League before he was rather harshly dismissed after just one campaign at Stamford Bridge.

Now the Argentine will be looking to do similar at Old Trafford, and it's clear that he already has the tools and personnel to at least replicate the South Korean superstar's skillset.

United's attacking options are strong. Bruno Fernandes is the talisman in the number ten role, while Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Amad, Joshua Zirkzee, and Benjamin Sesko provide experience and quality. Shea Lacey provides a wildcard out wide as a youngster, and is someone that Pochettino will love, while Mason Mount can be useful when he's fit.

But the forward who is likely to take the most joy from Pochettino's arrival is Marcus Rashford, and the manager can easily use him as the perfect Heung-Min Son clone in his team.

Rashford Can Be a Gamechanger for Man Utd

It was a surprise to see Rashford return to Man Utd in the summer following a successful loan spell at Barcelona, and he started the season well. He created a number of chances for teammates and looked sharp, even without registering a goal or assist.

But the England international hasn't featured since the 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid last month due to an ongoing hip issue, missing six games. Once he returns to fitness he will offer that same sharpness and direct running that Pochettino loves in his wingers, where he can hug the touchline, make runs from out to in, and punish teams.

He has the goal record to prove he is capable of being a gamechanger, too. With 138 goals for the club, nobody in the current squad has scored more, while the 30 goals he scored in the 2022/23 season are more than anyone else has ever managed in a single campaign at the club from the current squad.

That was a while ago, but at Barcelona he scored 14 goals and registered 14 assists last season, and he was in good form at the World Cup for England too, showing that he can deliver in the right setup. He was even described as 'frightening' by Ollie Watkins recently, showing how highly his teammates think of him.

"I can't speak highly enough of him," Watkins said on Rio Ferdinand Presents on YouTube.

"There was times (at Villa) where, like, I was on the bench, and he was keeping me out of the team, and I was frustrated, not because, not about him. It was just, I just wanted to play, but I could understand it, you know?

"There was times where, like, the PSG game, he absolutely ripped them apart. And I'm on the sideline, I'm thinking, I shouldn't come on there, really.

"Because he's, no, no, but I'm honest like that. Like, I don't have an ego. Like, I thought he was, because you read things and stuff like that, but I knew Marcus's talent, and I knew that the manager would get the best out of him. And to be fair, he did. And like, he was unbelievable. His ability is, yeah, it's frightening."

Pochettino will love what he can bring to the side, and he will love being trusted and relied upon. That could be the difference between getting him back to his best, and getting Man Utd back to where they feel they belong.