Manchester United could sack Erik ten Hag following this Saturday’s FA Cup final and ex-Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel would be the favourite to replace him
Thomas Tuchel is the frontrunner to become Manchester United’s new manager should Erik ten Hag be sacked.
Tuchel, 50, recently left Bayern Munich are failing to agree terms on extending his 18-month stay with the Bundesliga giants. Despite leading Bayern to a humiliating third-place finish, as they failed to win the league title for the first time in more than a decade, the German tactician’s stock remains high and has admirers at Old Trafford.
The United hierarchy – headed up by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who has control of football operations at the club – are considering sacking Ten Hag after Saturday’s FA Cup final against bitter rivals Manchester City at Wembley. The Dutchman led his side to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League, their worst since the competition’s inception in 1992.
Even though Ten Hag could make it back-to-back trophies in his first two seasons, the Guardian are reporting that Ratcliffe – who’s refused to publicly back the former Ajax boss ever since making his £1.3billion investment six months ago – could still wield the axe. In that case, Tuchel would be the favourite to replace him thanks to the Red Devils’ internal confidence in his credentials.
United are said to believe that Tuchel has the temperament to handle seasoned players, having done so at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, both of whom he led to Champions League finals. The 50-year-old won Europe’s grand prize with Chelsea in 2021 before being sacked little over a year later once the Blues had new ownership.
Tuchel’s reputation for falling out with his previous employers has prompted suggestions that the ex-Mainz and Borussia Dortmund manager is difficult to work with. Bayern announced in February that they’d agreed to part ways with him at the end of the season, only for the team’s form to improve which prompted negotiations to take place over Tuchel potentially staying beyond the summer.
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He guided Bayern to the Champions League semi-finals, losing 4-3 on aggregate to Real Madrid. Tuchel has already revealed his ambition to return to the Premier League, telling TNT Sports : “It is no secret that I loved it at Chelsea, I loved it in England. I loved it in the Premier League for sure, it was a very, very special time and I remember it very well.”
Tuchel also claims that he felt “more appreciation” during his time in England, saying to ESPN in January: “I feel we are very critical of each other in Germany, especially with players and coaches.
“It is very hard to escape. There is a picture and this picture is basically the picture for years and years. I felt more appreciation in England, yes.”
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