Liverpool is set to face off against Manchester United, and that could mean taking on a new face in the dugout, as Mauricio Pochettino appears to be closing in on the head coach job
Jurgen Klopp manager of Liverpool with Mauricio Pochettino manager of Chelsea before the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC
Mauricio Pochettino has been compared to Jurgen Klopp as he closes in on the Manchester United job(Image: (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images))
Former Manchester United ace Morgan Schneiderlin believes that Mauricio Pochettino can bring stability to the club, as he compared the manager to ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
It comes as the current USMNT head coach is expected to leave his post with the national team to take charge of the Red Devils, with Michael Carrick set to lose his position at Old Trafford during the international break.
Reports have stated that talks have been held between Man United and Pochettino to bring him back to the Premier League, following previous stints with Southampton, Tottenham, and Chelsea. It's unclear whether the Argentinian manager will take charge of the US's upcoming clashes with Haiti, with the situation being fluid at this moment in time.
However, should the appointment be completed in time, then Pochettino could be in post for the clash against Liverpool after the international break, which sets up an intriguing encounter at Anfield next week.
While the the Reds faithful will be hoping that there won't be any sort of new manager bounce from the visitors, following a poor start to the season for Man United, there is every chance that a reaction of some kind could come out on Merseyside during the clash.
In the long-term, the hope for the Red Devils will be for them to return to the very top, with Pochettino being tipped to rebuild the club in a similar way to Klopp during his time at Liverpool. Schneiderlin, who played at Man United and featured under Pochettino 51 times during his spell at Southampton, certainly believes that the manager will come good.
Speaking to ComeOn, he said: "In terms of how he [Pochettino] wants the team to play, his character, and everything, yes, it's very comparable to Jurgen Klopp.
"When Klopp arrived at Liverpool, he made two or three key signings, like Virgil Van Dijk and others, who brought real stability to the football club. That's what Pochettino must do for the foundation at United."
THESSALONIKI, GREECE - OCTOBER 04: Jurgen Klopp, head coach of Germany looks on prior to the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Greece and Germany at Toumba Stadium on October 04, 2026 in Thessaloniki, Greece. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp(Image: Getty Images)
Those claims perhaps miss out some of the key details to Klopp's reign. The manager had set the foundations and stability with his style, taking over in 2015. Key signings such as Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker didn't arrive until 2018, meaning the manager had to prove himself for almost three years to land some of those top players.
The challenge for Man United is whether the patience is there to stick with a manager for that long. The other challenge surrounds whether Pochettino can turn the team into a competent pressing outfit in a quick amount of time, joining mid-season being far from ideal in implementing those ideas.
Schneiderlin continued: "He's also a manager who is very close to the players. I think Michael [Carrick] was as well, but Mauricio is so good with the little gestures that boost a player's confidence. That's what they need right now.
"You could see in recent Manchester United performances that it wasn't really a question of character. They came back into games when they were losing and showed fight. But they just need someone to ease the pressure off them a bit and show them love. I'm sure they had that with Michael, too.
"It's also something that needs to be sorted from top to bottom. He doesn't have a magic baguette to change everything straight away, but it's something he will look to adjust in the upcoming transfer window, and over the next two or three windows. Look at Liverpool. Sometimes you ask yourself why players succeed at Liverpool and don't succeed at United.
"For a young centre-back, when you have Virgil van Dijk next to you, someone who has been so good for so long, so successful, taking the pressure off, it's easy, because you have one of the best centre-backs in the world beside you. When you're a midfielder and you play next to someone like Jordan Henderson in the past, who was captain and a real leader, it's so much easier.
"When you're at a club experiencing success, it's far easier than arriving at a club where every two months the results fluctuate, the pressure mounts, and you don't really know where you stand.
"That's the main thing for Pochettino at United, finding that stability. When you find stability and you have three or four players who form the core of the team and perform week in, week out, then any new player who arrives will shine. That's what Liverpool did. They had a core at centre-back, midfield, and attack that didn't move, and around that, new signings could adapt very quickly."
The task appears to be a steep one for Man United, with no sign yet that anyone can come close to replicating Sir Alex Ferguson. The Red Devils will hope that is Pochettino, but it's unclear whether he can replicate Klopp's rebuild work or if he will be another one taken in and spat back out by the club.