Pochettino explains Manchester United move as US farewell awaits Haiti ties

Mauricio Pochettino addressed his departure from the United States men's national team on Friday, explaining that Manchester United's approach had developed quickly while stressing that he would complete the current international camp. According to the Guardian's reporting from US Soccer's national training center in Georgia, his move to United had been announced earlier that day.

Watch the highlights:

The coach will still lead the US against Haiti in their Concacaf Nations League quarter-final matches on Saturday and Tuesday. United and US Soccer agreed that he should remain for those fixtures before leaving. Pochettino said the impending change would not alter his staff's commitment to the two games, even as attention turned to his return to club management.

Pochettino outlined a short negotiating timeline. He said contact began on Sunday afternoon, after he had arrived for the US camp the previous Friday. He described keeping chief executive JT Batson and the federation informed as discussions progressed. By Thursday, with an agreement moving forward, he had told the players and the wider staff about the situation and thanked them for their support.

His departure follows a contract extension announced in August that was intended to keep him with the national team through 2030. That arrangement also gave him greater involvement in the direction of the men's programme across its levels. Pochettino said he had been committed to the extension and had not anticipated that another opportunity would emerge so soon, but regarded United's offer as difficult to reject.

Batson appeared alongside Pochettino and US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone at the news conference. Asked about the approximately $10 million that the Guardian reported United had paid for the coach's services, Batson said the money would be available for federation priorities. Those included hiring coaches, supporting youth national teams and developing coaching education, rather than one specified use.

The Guardian also reported that donor Ken Griffin had subsidised a substantial share of Pochettino's salary, while noting uncertainty over whether similar backing would extend to his successor. For now, Pochettino's remaining responsibility is the Haiti quarter-final. His explanation of the move came before those final matches, not after the end of his duties with the US squad.