Mauricio Pochettino’s Man United SQUAD AUDIT: Axe EIGHT stars, new role for the attacker he’s ‘always liked’ and who could be his new Dele Alli… now give YOUR player-by-player verdict

Walking into a club in turmoil is nothing new for Mauricio Pochettino.

He arrived at Southampton with the Saints three points clear of the relegation zone. Tottenham Hotspur were crying out for some leadership after Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood’s spells, while Chelsea picked up Pochettino in 2023 on the back of their lowest league finish for more than 25 years.

Now it’s Manchester United that require what Victor Wanyama once described as Pochettino’s ‘magic touch’ – and they need it quick as they sit in the relegation zone with ten games played. Pochettino remains weeks removed from the January transfer window and has a number of first-team regulars out with long-term injuries, so his reputation of improving the players at his disposal will be put to the test.

He has developed a reputation for placing faith in youth – while at Tottenham, Pochettino handed 12 debuts to players aged 21 or under, more than any other manager.

Money will be tight and United look almost certain to miss out on next season’s Champions League, which will make squad development significantly harder, so Pochettino will have to make do and mend with a lot of the current underperforming crop of players.

With all that in mind, Daily Mail Sport runs the rule over the 36 players Pochettino will be inheriting when he walks through the door at Carrington next week. 

And you can scroll to the end of the article to have your say on who should stay, and who should go…

GOALKEEPERS 

Senne Lammens (Goalkeeper, 24)

Lammens won’t be going anywhere. He is United’s No 1 and despite a downturn in form this season, he’s not become a bad goalkeeper overnight. Pochettino’s trusted goalkeeping coach Toni Jimenez will almost certainly replace Craig Mawson to bring some fresh ideas.

Jimenez focuses a lot on developing goalkeepers to be comfortable as sweepers and playing higher up. That is a sore spot in Lammens’ game – recently exposed by Bournemouth striker Evanilson – but proper coaching should help develop Lammens, just like Jimenez developed Hugo Lloris.

VERDICT: Keep

Karl Darlow (Goalkeeper, 36)

A summer arrival from Leeds United as a back-up goalkeeper. Pochettino has more important issues than messing around with his No2.

VERDICT: Keep

Tom Heaton (Goalkeeper, 40)

Heaton is hugely popular at the club and while he doesn’t play, he is viewed as a vital cog in the dressing room given his wealth of experience. He turns 41 later this season and has been busy preparing for life away from the pitch.

Heaton has completed courses on becoming a sporting director, as well as an executive leadership short course from Oxford University.

He also holds his goalkeeper coach B-Licence, A-Licence outfield, and a certificate of football management from UEFA.

Pochettino would be wise to keep Heaton in-house, even if not as a player. He is a respected figure who knows United inside out and that shouldn’t be overlooked as Pochettino tries to build out a culture.

VERDICT: Find off-pitch role

DEFENDERS 

Diogo Dalot (Full back, 27)

Dalot is highly respected by every manager that works with him for the effort he puts in, something that can’t always be said of some of his team-mates.

But he is woefully short of the required quality to take United forward and he is not a comfortable fit for Pochettino’s ideals, either.

Pochettino gets width in his sides via the full backs and that requires a relentless runner – which Dalot is – having quality both defensively and in attack, which Dalot does not.

Malo Gusto, who is keen to leave Chelsea and could become a key target for United, spoke of how Pochettino developed his game in 2024 when he said: ‘He helps us a lot. He has tried to show us the desire to win, to keep fighting against every team.

‘He talks to us a lot about tactics, technique and everything. He is a good person as well. He tries to help us a lot on the pitch and off it. He is a good coach for this young team.

‘He is here for this. He knows he has to wake up our mentality, to wake up our desire to win everything.’

United have neglected their back-line for years and it’s time for a dramatic refresh, starting with shifting Dalot, who is under contract until 2028.

VERDICT: Replace

Noussair Mazraoui (Full back, 28)

Another that should go.

Dalot has at least shown he has the engine to get up and down, which could offer a lifeline under Pochettino, but Mazraoui hasn’t.

Full backs are essential to Pochettino’s high-intensity, high press 4-2-3-1, and that’s not a formula that suits Mazraoui’s abilities.

Privately, sources close to the dressing room have suggested in recent weeks that Mazraoui, another under contract until 2028, is keen for a new challenge.

VERDICT: Replace

Matthijs de Ligt (centre back, 27)

Overhauling the defence is one of the main topics of conversation among agents and players right now but De Ligt’s future is secure at Old Trafford.

He is under contract until 2029, with the option of a further year, and many figures behind the scenes believe he can bounce back from such a long period out with injury to be a success.

De Ligt’s injury record, as well as the fact he isn’t a natural fit for Pochettino’s idea of the perfect, mobile centre back, makes him an intriguing prospect.

Strong in physical duels, he could become a key squad player.

VERDICT: Keep

Harry Maguire (centre back, 33)

Maguire has taken more criticism than most during his time at United and deserves credit for how he has overcome it.

His contract expires in the summer, with the option of a further year, and Maguire has described playing for United as the ‘ultimate honour’ so is unlikely to agitate to leave.

That being said, Pochettino puts a lot of emphasis on recovery pace given the high line he has favoured in the past and the Argentine’s tactics have routinely exposed centre backs in transition, with speed essential to masking shortcomings.

Maguire would undoubtedly struggle in that department and while his physical profile would appeal, he said earlier this year that he does not want to be kept around for ‘sentimental value’.

‘I love this club. But it’s got to be right for myself, it’s got to be right for the club as well,’ Maguire said in March before a one-year extension was triggered.

‘I don’t want to be staying on sentimental value. I want to be staying because I want to be there and the club want me to drive the club forward still, and they feel like I’ve got a big part to play in it.’

The prospect of a diminishing role, with United planning multiple defensive reinforcements, may see both sides agree it’s time for a change.

VERDICT: Replace

Lisandro Martinez (centre back, 28)

A player that looks to have one foot out the door after calling out director of football Jason Wilcox following the defeat by Atletico Madrid.

It’s funny, almost, given Pochettino’s arrival should suit Martinez down to the ground. In theory, he is the exact type of player his compatriot would implore his bosses to recruit.

Pochettino puts huge emphasis on passing out from the back and Martinez is the best in that category among United’s centre backs.

Pochettino is also incredibly intense, something Martinez has been for some time at United, sometimes to the group’s benefit and sometimes to its detriment.

The Argentine’s contract expires in the summer and while there is an option to trigger a further year to avoid a World Cup winner walking away for nothing, the expectation is that he won’t agree to a new one and his time at United is more likely than not drawing to a close.

He holds a desire to play in Spain and that may not vanish overnight. But if anyone can connect with Martinez about a longer-term role, it’s a fellow Argentine.

VERDICT: Keep (but expect to go!)

Patrick Dorgu (Full back/winger, 22)

Has the potential to be the biggest winner of the Pochettino appointment.

Pochettino’s full-back-turned-winger style totally plays into Dorgu’s hands given both his engine and his comfort playing higher up the pitch. Look at the development of Danny Rose – who played more games for Pochettino than any other player – and Kyle Walker, as well as Sergino Dest with the USA.

Dorgu has a lot of the attributes Pochettino craves while he also remains raw enough that intense, but targeted, coaching could improve him.

He should immediately become one of Pochettino’s go-to men.

VERDICT: Keep

Leny Yoro (centre back, 21)

Where there are concerns around Maguire’s ability to play in a system which squeezes everyone that bit higher up the pitch, Yoro should thrive.

He showed against Villa, with a chase down to deny Nicolas Jackson a run on goal, that he possesses the necessary recovery pace.

Pochettino’s centre backs need to be strong passers and Yoro can improve in this area, although he has shown a willingness to dictate with long diagonals, as well as burst through lines as a ball-carrier.

United need five reliable centre backs in the squad moving forward and Yoro can establish himself as the No1.

Given Pochettino’s track record with young players, he should be really excited at becoming a key piece of the puzzle under him.

VERDICT: Keep

Luke Shaw (Full back, 31)

A reunion… but one that may not last very long.

In a 2017 book about Pochettino, Shaw revealed his desire to work under him again and that wish has now come true.

‘With Southampton he achieved the impossible,’ said Shaw. ‘We were one of the best footballing teams in the league… I do hope that I can play for him again one day. And I think he really wants me to play under him again.’

Pochettino used to call Shaw his ‘son’ and their relationship has stayed strong over the years.

But Pochettino is also a winner and will be acutely aware that Shaw cannot maintain the levels that Pochettino will require from his full backs after years of injury problems.

Sources close to the player have suggested the potential for a one-year extension given the relationship with Pochettino, even if those same sources believe the time is right for a fresh start.

A long servant but not one that can take United forward from this lowest of ebbs.

VERDICT: Replace

Ayden Heaven (centre back, 20)

Arriving as an Ineos project, United aren’t going to cut their losses on Heaven just yet.

His strong passing ability will appeal to Pochettino and his coaches and he’s worth a season of proper coaching to see how high or low his ceiling is.

Heaven can be reckless, particularly in his approach to tackling, but he’s got a good physical profile and those who have worked with him have praised his approach to training and willingness to listen to coaches.

United are likely to go out and sign two new centre backs in the summer – at least they hope to – but Heaven should get a shot at development as a bit-part player.

VERDICT: Keep

Harry Amass (Full back, 19)

Wholly ignored despite a left back crisis this season, Amass is widely expected to be out the door in January.

It is hard to blame him, either, given United’s decision to keep him around has stunted his development.

Amass is a strong crosser of the ball and, in time, could develop into a full back in Pochettino’s vision.

But neither Amass nor Pochettino will have time to wait and see. With a left back high on the shopping list, to go with Dorgu’s expected ascension, this relationship shouldn’t last too long.

VERDICT: Replace

Jaydan Kamason (Full back, 19)

An academy player to keep an eye on.

Kamason has played both at right back and right wing for United’s Under 21s and that plays massively into his hands in a bid to try and catch the eye of his new manager.

The United youngster is a well-rounded full back that constantly looks to get forward, all while not neglecting his defensive responsibilities.

Kamason has trained regularly with the first team in recent months and that could be a sign of things to come under Pochettino, too.

VERDICT: Keep

Diego Leon (Full back, 19)

United rolled the dice on Leon a year ago in a deal worth an initial £3.3million – but the move has not worked out at all.

The 19-year-old hasn’t come close to making a first-team appearance and his agent has even suggested they are getting itchy feet despite sub-par performances for United’s Under 21s.

‘If there isn’t a plan to break into the first team between December and January, we’ll look for a way out for him,’ Leon’s representative Renato Bittar admitted. ‘A loan somewhere where he can compete, get playing time, and return to Manchester.’

Having observed the academy teams closer than most in recent seasons, Leon hasn’t shown anywhere near enough to merit becoming a project player for Pochettino.

VERDICT: Send out on loan

MIDFIELDERS 

Mason Mount (Midfielder, 27)

Mount left for United in the same summer Pochettino was hired by Chelsea, so their crossover was minimal.

How much say Pochettino had in that decision remains unclear, perhaps it was insignificant, but now they will finally work together.

Mount feels disposable, not least because he hasn’t registered a single assist in the Premier League for United since joining in 2023 for £60million.

With so many options ahead of him in those inverted winger roles, and with Bruno Fernandes and Youri Tielemans preferred as No 10s, Mount needs shifting.

VERDICT: Replace

Bruno Fernandes (Midfielder, 32)

Contract talks have stalled in recent weeks and months but an ambitious new manager could swing momentum back towards reigning Player of the Year Fernandes staying at Old Trafford.

The way Pochettino platformed Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli at Tottenham, as well as Cole Palmer at Chelsea, suggests Fernandes will get the role he needs to be at his very best.

Fernandes’ mobility, and ability to run beyond his centre forward, is a strength, as is his vision to supply team-mates in open play and at set-pieces. If Fernandes plays well, so do United, generally. Pochettino favours inverted attackers, so Fernandes could even start off the left if his manager wanted to position Matheus Cunha or Tielemans more centrally.

‘He’s given me the freedom to play my stuff and I like it when he frees you because I feel I can express my stuff more,’ Palmer said of Pochettino’s coaching back in 2024.

‘I’m loving it. Every day he’s talking to you about different things, not just football things but life things as well. He’s good at making you feel good and trying to get the best out of you.’

That’s music to the ears of Fernandes.

VERDICT: Keep

Andrey Santos (Midfielder, 22)

Pochettino knows all about Santos having worked with him at Chelsea when he was a teenager still finding his way.

The reports at that time, during a pre-season tour in North Carolina and Philadelphia, were that Santos’ profile appealed to Pochettino, only for the club to go ahead and sanction loan moves to Nottingham Forest and then Strasbourg.

Santos is a summer arrival for £50m and will get more time to find his role in this United side.

He has enough talent to become a reliable deputy to Baleba as the deep-lying midfielder when everyone is fully fit.

VERDICT: Keep

Youri Tielemans (Midfielder, 29)

Tielemans is a high-IQ player that signed a five-year contract in the summer so, truthfully, won’t be going anywhere.

That being said, Tielemans’ running power isn’t there and the demands of a Pochettino system, if he is still the same coach that bowed out at Chelsea, may make that secondary midfield role difficult.

It feels like Tielemans could be a specialist player that Pochettino uses in games where his side expect to dominate possession.

Tielemans’ composure on the ball is superior to that of many of his team-mates and that’s not a trait Pochettino will overlook quickly, even if he reportedly had reservations on a younger Tielemans when he was managing at Tottenham.

VERDICT: Keep

Carlos Baleba (Midfielder, 22)

A big winner. The £70m summer signing needs to be used in the correct way to realise his potential and Pochettino’s track record should be music to Baleba’s ears.

Pochettino has typically liked one of his central midfielders to drop deep in possession to create a back three – see Eric Dier at Tottenham – and Baleba should be comfortable fulfilling that role.

Moises Caicedo and Wanyama are two other success stories in the deeper No6 role that Baleba should now thrive in under Pochettino’s watch, with his combativeness and tackling making him a natural fit.

‘Tactically, he has taught me a lot,’ Wanyama previously said of Pochettino.

‘Before, I was just thinking, “I’ll just sit here and defend”. But if you’re playing for him, it’s not only defending. You have to attack also. You have to know the right time. I have learned so much from him.’

Now it’s time for Baleba to study up and take his game to the next level.

VERDICT: Keep

Manuel Ugarte (Midfielder, 25)

It transpired that Pochettino wanted to make Ugarte his first signing at Chelsea, only for United to get in ahead of them for the Uruguayan.

Ugarte was all set to leave United in the summer were it not for a serious injury at the World Cup that left him sidelined for months.

Pochettino liked the profile of player he saw when Ugarte was scouted at Sporting Lisbon but he looks a different, far less effective, player in England.

Minds appear to be made up upstairs when it comes to moving on from Ugarte.

VERDICT: Replace

Kobbie Mainoo (Midfielder, 21)

Where Baleba will need to drop deep, the other midfielder in Pochettino’s system is the one who is expected to drive and bypass midfield blocks.

Pochettino will be acutely aware that Mainoo is extremely popular among United fans and while athleticism is often levelled against him as a weak point in his game, Pochettino will need to find a way of improving that while also nurturing his many talents.

Tottenham’s Mousa Dembele was moulded by Pochettino from an attacking midfielder into a deep-lying controller, urged to dribble to break lines and open up the game.

Mainoo has many similar traits to others Pochettino has worked with, such as Weston McKennie with the US national team.

‘They will get pushed in training more than the games they will be playing. It is all a mental thing,’ former Southampton striker Rickie Lambert once said.

If Mainoo can come through the initial boot camp, he can flourish.

VERDICT: Keep

Jack Fletcher (Midfielder, 19)

A better player than people give him credit for but one that really needs to put a full season together at first-team level to see where he is at.

That won’t be under Pochettino at United but United, if they really believe he can be part of their future, need to find Fletcher a loan move where he can feature in 35-40 games.

Clubs in League One would be all over him.

VERDICT: Send out on loan

Tyler Fletcher (Midfielder, 19)

The deep-lying midfielder that can drop in to form a back three is fundamental to how Pochettino wants to play and that’s a style that would suit Tyler Fletcher, rather than the more attacking Jack.

Again, figures at United and up in Scotland, just want to see Fletcher get a run of games under his belt.

Kilmarnock wanted him in the summer, but United wanted to keep Fletcher in house.

If Pochettino and United really care about his career, he should be one of the first out the door on loan in January.

VERDICT: Send out on loan

Jim Thwaites (Midfielder, 19)

Senior academy figures are the most excited about Thwaites’ potential, even if it would be unfair to expect him to make a big impact on the first team in the near future.

Technically his level is particularly high, a European pass-first, press-resistant game that will appeal to Pochettino and his coaches.

But physically there is a way to go, which should mean Thwaites is kept around as a project player.

VERDICT: Keep

Sekou Kone (Midfielder, 20)

Brought in as an Ineos project piece, after two mediocre loan spells in Switzerland with Lausanne, it’s time to have Kone come back into the building and put him to work with a relentless coach like Pochettino.

Kone’s twitchy game-style and desire to break through lines makes him something of a hybrid of players Pochettino has coached in the past.

Having watched him up close in the academy set-up before he went out on loan, and spoken to those who coached Kone then, it would be a big gamble for Pochettino to put his trust in him.

But Kone’s ceiling feels sky high. It’s time to see if he can go into the lab and come out as a Dembele-Wanyama hybrid.

VERDICT: Keep as project player

Cristian Orozco (Midfielder, 18)

Physically he has an advanced profile for his age but United have long preached that they want to take things slow as Orozco settles into life in England and gets a grip of the language.

He is neat and tidy on the ball and has shown an ability to zip passes through the lines but not enough to suggest an elevation to the first-team group.

Academy football doesn’t develop players quickly enough so a carefully selected loan move, perhaps in a technical league like the Netherlands or Belgium, would be ideal.

VERDICT: Send on loan

ATTACKERS 

Matheus Cunha (Attacker, 27)

He needs to look at how Pochettino used players like Lucas Moura and Eriksen in the past to see how he can take his game to the next level.

Cunha has a swagger about him that United like and while he was better suited to Ruben Amorim’s system than he was Michael Carrick’s, Pochettino’s preference for narrow wide players, funnelling them into central areas while full backs create the width, means this managerial shift should play into his hands.

‘Cunha is a maverick who does things that are hard to find in some players,’ Amorim once said of the Brazilian.

‘He plays with the ball, but he has an aura that can do something to the opponent’s heads. And that is really important.’

VERDICT: Keep

Marcus Rashford (Attacker, 29)

It was recently suggested to Daily Mail Sport that a move for Rashford could be explored as early as January, with a desire to go back abroad.

A managerial change always puts things into flux and not least given that Pochettino said in 2022 that he’d ‘always liked’ Rashford, before adding: ‘I think he’s a great player. He just needs the confidence and for himself to believe, to put him at the top level. The quality is there for him.’

Pochettino is unlikely to have changed an opinion as solid as that one in the years that followed and so it will be curious to see if Rashford could become the athletic, pressing No9 in Benjamin Sesko’s absence.

Rashford wants to feel the love and has shown what he can do when his confidence is high. It isn’t right now but don’t bet against Pochettino showing him that love.

VERDICT: Keep

Joshua Zirkzee (Attacker, 25)

One of the more interesting profiles for Pochettino to consider.

On the face of it, Zirkzee lacks the intensity in the press and the mobility that Pochettino demands of his forwards.

Yet, Zirkzee can drop in, allowing the No10 to run in behind, which Pochettino values in a striker.

In the long term, expect Zirkzee to depart. In the short term, Pochettino may see him as a very specific tool to exploit certain opponents.

VERDICT: Replace

Amad Diallo (Attacker, 24)

Tenacious defensively after improving immeasurably out of possession under Amorim, that’s a big plus for Amad in the eyes of Pochettino.

He’s among the glut of hybrid 10-wingers that United seem to stockpile and, once Sesko returns, Amad will find himself locked in a battle with Shea Lacey and Bryan Mbeumo for regular starts.

Amad’s energy should give him the edge from day one to be a natural fit for Pochettino’s high press.

VERDICT: Keep

Shea Lacey (Attacker, 19)

Pochettino loves working with young players and Lacey is ready-made for that inverted winger style that the Argentine prefers, so he should be licking his lips at the prospect of more opportunities.

Lacey has played both off the right and as a No10 in academy teams and that stands him in good stead to operate in central areas, as well as isolate his full back one v one, which too many in this squad are not confident to do.

Lacey should be studying the development of Dele Alli under Pochettino and hoping he can bring his game on similarly.

VERDICT: Keep

Bryan Mbeumo (Attacker, 27)

Like Cunha, Mbeumo looked a more natural fit in Amorim’s two-10s system and there are similarities that could put him back in those positions under Pochettino.

He’s played a lot as a No 9 and may need to deputise there for the time being but the long-term dilemma for Pochettino will be the battle between Mbeumo, Amad and Lacey cutting in from the right.

It’s one of the few areas of the pitch where there will be decent competition for places.

Mbeumo will need to find a position and master it or he may be caught in between roles.

VERDICT: Keep

Benjamin Sesko (Attacker, 23)

Injured until, most likely, the end of January and so it will take some time for Pochettino to get his teeth into Sesko’s development.

The Slovenian feels very close to Pochettino’s ideal No9 profile given his athleticism, physicality in the air, ability to press from the front and his instinctive finishing ability.

VERDICT: Keep

Tynan Thompson (Attacker, 18)

Academy sources feel the teenager, who arrived for an initial £4million, has been unfairly criticised so far as he tries to adapt to a new club since moving up from Tottenham.

Thompson has picked up in recent academy games but in terms of his profile he looks more comfortable as a touchline winger, minus the blistering pace we usually see in that position.

His best bet is to remain in the academy and look towards a season-long loan next season.

VERDICT: Stick with academy

Noah Ajayi (Attacker, 18)

One of the most intriguing academy prospects now that JJ Gabriel is closing in on a move to Real Madrid.

Ajayi looks physically capable of holding his own in first-team sessions and before a ball was kicked this term the development plan was to have him make a first-team debut before the season was out.

On-pitch failings may kick that can down the road but Ajayi is comfortable anywhere across the front line, has an acceleration that’s invaluable and a technical level beyond his years.

Pochettino needs to take him under his wing to see what he can squeeze out of him before next summer.

VERDICT: Integrate into first-team training

Now have your say!