Pochettino reaches ‘first decision’ as Man Utd boss as huge ‘request’ to INEOS ‘knocks out’ Barcelona
Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly reached his ‘first decision’ as Manchester United head coach, and it has implications for Lisandro Martinez.
On Friday, Man Utd finally confirmed the appointment of Pochettino as Michael Carrick’s replacement on a contract until 2029.
Long-term United target Pochettino has given up his role as USA manager to succeed Carrick, and he faces the almighty task of rebuilding the Red Devils.
Pochettino joins Man Utd with the fallen Premier League giants at their lowest ebb, with the club in the Premier League relegation zone after winning only three of their first 15 games in all competitions this season.
As United showed under Carrick last season, this squad is capable of more than they have displayed this season, but they are weak in certain positions.
READ: Pochettino the ‘bottle job’ doomed to fail at ‘unmanageable’ Manchester United
This is because Man Utd’s hierarchy failed to strengthen at centre-back, left-back, left wing and up front this summer, and it is clear that upgrades are required in several positions.
It has been widely reported that Man Utd’s next transfer priority will be to fix their centre-back department, partly because Martinez and Harry Maguire are in the final year of their contract and could leave in 2027.
Martinez has particularly let himself down this season, with the World Cup winner’s performances and attitude being nowhere near good enough.
This has made a 2027 exit seem inevitable for the centre-back, and this is unlikely to change following the arrival of Pochettino.
Mauricio Pochettino reaches ‘first decision’ as Manchester United boss
Despite this, a new report from Spanish outlet Nacional claims Pochettino’s ‘first decision’ at Man Utd is to keep Martinez, with the head coach to ‘request’ a contract extension for the veteran centre-back.
READ MORE: Manchester United under Pochettino will be ‘slow and painful’ – but Palmer can vouch for the results
Now, this is almost certainly nonsense, with the outlet presumably only saying Pochettino wants to keep Martinez because they are both from Argentina.
Still, this alleged request ‘knocks out’ Barcelona after they were preparing to sign Martinez in 2027 in a transfer that, in the real world, could still happen.
The report explains:
‘At Spotify Camp Nou they were prepared to try to sign him in the winter , offering a ridiculously low amount, and Lisandro seemed very enticed by this possibility.
‘But if Barça expected Lisandro’s signing to be easy, they were sorely mistaken. Pochettino’s arrival could change everything, and he’ll do everything in his power to prevent him from leaving Old Trafford. A major obstacle.’
READ NEXT: Man Utd: Pochettino ‘powerless’ in ‘nest of vipers’ after replacing Carrick
