With Mauricio Pochettino reportedly set to leave for Manchester United, the US federation are looking for a new national-team coach. Their preferred candidate is none other than Pep Guardiola.
According to The Athletic, which cites "sources familiar with the situation", officials within the federation are discussing Guardiola at various levels of the hiring process. He is expected to be the leading candidate should Pochettino push for a move to Manchester United, despite his contract having been extended until 2030 only after the World Cup in the summer.
Michael Carrick's future at the Red Devils is currently being decided in Monaco. On Wednesday, chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox travelled to the principality to settle the matter with minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Should United dismiss Carrick as expected and bring in Pochettino, they would have to pay the US federation the Argentinian's €10 million release clause. Pochettino was already considered a candidate at ManUnited in 2022, but the Red Devils appointed Erik ten Hag as their new head coach instead.
Manchester United have won just one of their first ten Premier League games. They sit 18th and are now in a relegation battle. Disastrous performances include a 1-4 Champions League defeat against Como and a 0-3 league defeat against Bournemouth, while Brighton knocked them out of the League Cup in mid-September. Most recently, the Red Devils twice fought back from 2-0 down in spectacular fashion.
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In the Champions League, they came back to beat Roma 3-2. In the Premier League, they drew 4-4 with Aston Villa after trailing 2-0 and 4-2. Carrick now faces the sack, despite leading United back into the Champions League with an outstanding second half of last season.
Why did Pep Guardiola turn down the job as Italy national-team coach?
Guardiola, meanwhile, did not renew his contract with United's city rivals Manchester City and left after ten hugely successful years with the Sky Blues. Following Italy's failed World Cup qualification campaign, Paolo Maldini said Guardiola had come close to becoming the new coach of the Squadra Azzurra.
Speaking to Corriere della Serra, the former technical director of the national team, who has since resigned, confirmed how close Guardiola had come. "We went to Barcelona to meet him, had lunch together and talked for a whole day. He was very interested. He came very close to saying yes. He had even started writing line-ups on pieces of paper," Maldini said.
Financial demands had nothing to do with Guardiola's eventual rejection of the four-time world champions, despite suggestions from some media outlets. "The money, the €20 million people were talking about, was never an issue. Pep told us quite clearly: give me one euro less than the last national-team coach received, and that works for me," Maldini said.
Instead, the 55-year-old did not yet feel ready to take charge of another club or national team. Guardiola had "said no because of exhaustion", Maldini explained: "He has come through ten gruelling years in the Premier League. He has had back surgery. He wants to rest."
Getty ImagesWill Guardiola become the new US national-team coach?
That rest could soon be over. Should the US federation make a concerted effort to recruit Guardiola, they might find him receptive. The Catalan lived in New York for a year during his sabbatical before joining Bayern Munich and spoke favourably about the prospect of coaching the US national team two years ago, when Pochettino took over in the US.
At a press conference, he said: "It is fascinating to build a project over many years in the US and take the next step with the national team. The potential in the US is enormous, given the number of people, the variety of sports and so on."
Guardiola has also repeatedly spoken about his desire to stand on the touchline as a coach at a World Cup one day. A few years ago, his preferred team was, naturally, the Spain national team, who are currently enjoying another golden era under Luis de la Fuente and are the reigning world and European champions.