Javier Mascherano has agreed to become Inter Miami’s new head coach, according to reports.
The MLS side, who are captained by , have been searching for a new manager after Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino resigned as the head coach earlier this week.
The former Barcelona manager guided Inter Miami to an MLS-record 74 points in the regular season, as well as victory in the Supporters’ Shield, but the team suffered an upset in the MLS Cup playoffs as they were eliminated in the first round by United.
Mascherano, meanwhile, has been retired since 2018 and has managed Argentina’s Under-20 team since January 2022.
According to Cesar Luis Merlo and TyC Sports, Mascherano will now leave his position with Argentina’s national side having agreed a long-term deal to manage Inter Miami.
Mascherano’s move to Major League Soccer and Inter Miami will see him reunite with Messi, who he played alongside for several years at Barcelona and with Argentina’s national side.
Mascherano also played alongside Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, who are all part of Inter Miami’s squad.
The 40-year-old has also managed two other Inter Miami players, Thomas Aviles and Federico Redondo, with Argentina’s Under-20s.
During his playing career, Mascherano won 19 trophies during his time at Barcelona. For Argentina, he won two Olympic gold medals but finished as a World Cup runner-up in 2014, and a Copa America runner-up on four occasions.
Mascherano was part of the controversial deal that saw both him and Carlos Tevez join West Ham from Brazilian side Corinthians in 2006.
He spent six months at West Ham before he joined Liverpool in February 2007.
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