Thomas Tuchel is well aware of the added pressure put on the Manchester United job he’s heavily linked to by club legends like Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand
Thomas Tuchel is reportedly the frontrunner to replace Erik ten Hag – but he’s already detailed a turn-off of the Manchester United job.
The German is on the hunt for his next role having left Bayern Munich at the end of the Bundesliga season. He’s believed to be interested in a return to England following his 20-month stay at Chelsea, during which time he won the Champions League.
And he could have his way back at Old Trafford, where Ten Hag’s position looks increasingly in doubt ahead of the FA Cup final against neighbours Man City on Saturday. According to The Guardian, Tuchel is the leading candidate should he be sacked.
But he’s previously spoken about how legends of the club can make working and playing for United a more difficult task than it already is. It came after Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand had been vocally critical last September.
Ahead of Bayern’s meeting with the Red Devils in the Champions League group stage, Tuchel told reporters: “There is always a lot of noise around Manchester United. A lot of pundits in the UK are from Manchester United.
“You have a legacy from Alex Ferguson which creates expectations around the club. All of us, me in Bayern and my colleague at Man Utd, want to achieve the same things. It is pretty common at Man Utd that little things become a bit bigger or the talking is a bit noisier.”
Whether that would be a deal breaker for Tuchel remains to be seen. His old job at Stamford Bridge is, of course, already up for grabs after Mauricio Pochettino left by mutual consent.
But it appears highly unlikely he’ll be making a comeback in west London. For starters, Chelsea reportedly don’t want a veteran manager to replace Pochettino, instead looking to take on an up-and-comer – with Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna one such example.
There’s also the problem of friction between him and Blues co-owner Todd Boehly, who was claimed to have described him as a “nightmare” to deal to an unnamed Premier League executive with regards to transfers. Tuchel had a far better working relationship with predecessor Roman Abramovich.
Ten Hag, meanwhile, is set to discover his fate in the days after the trip to Wembley this weekend. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his growing team will make a decision once their season is done and dusted, with the Dutchman aiming to win his second trophy in his first two seasons at the club.
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