Thomas Tuchel is being tipped to replace Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager
Manchester United are strongly reported to have made Thomas Tuchel their No 1 candidate to take over as manager this summer with the German receiving strong support from a former player and amid new claims the axe will fall on Erik ten Hag.
The Red Devils have endured a bumpy season under the Dutchman with the under-fire manager conceding on Saturday that his side can no longer finish in the top four this season. And it still remains a possibility that, with four games left this season, Manchester United (54 points) could record their lowest-ever points tally in a Premier League season, which currently stands at 58.
Stormclouds have been gathering over Ten Hag’s future for pretty much most of the season, with the former Ajax manager, now into the second of an initial three-year deal, appearing to take the club backwards this season.
And with Sir Jim Ratcliffe finalising his £1.3bn purchase into 27.7% of the Glazers shares in February, reports have grown that the British billionaire is ready to bring in his own man once the current campaign comes to an end.
Those reports have only gathered pace in the last week after it emerged that Ratcliffe had instructed newly-appointed technical director Jason Wilcox to complete a thorough audit of Ten Hag, deciding whether the club should stick or twist on the United manager.
But with some worrying statistics emerging on his reign that has seen them conceded 90 shots in three matches against Liverpool this season, together with the side’s new-found issues in conceding late goals the signs are not looking good.
Ten Hag sack: Ratcliffe ready to pull the trigger
Indeed, TEAMtalk was the first to break the news at the start of last month that several senior figures at Old Trafford believe it will be game over for Ten Hag this summer.
And maybe the writing was truly put on the wall this week with United struggling to record a win over relegation-bound Sheffield United, before then being held to a draw by another struggler in Burnley.
Put simply, standards have slipped at Old Trafford and few would blame Ratcliffe were he to act, with not even success in the FA Cup likely to spare the Dutchman now.
Now a report from Football Insider claims the INEOS chief has ‘decided to move on from Ten Hag this summer’ with club chiefs ‘doing their due diligence behind the scenes over who could be their next manager.’
And while the likes of Roberto De Zerbi and Gareth Southgate both have admirers within Old Trafford this summer, appointing either manager comes with its own problems, with questions raised over De Zerbi’s temperament and with Southgate unavailable until after England’s European Championships campaign has come to an end this summer.
That, however, is not the case with Tuchel, who will become a free agent once Bayern’s campaign comes to an end. While they have conceded the Bundesliga title, they are this week preparing for the Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid. Tuchel is a one-time winner and two-time finalists having won the competition with Chelsea and having steered PSG to within a whisker of success.
As a result, it’s not expected United will make an official move for the 50-year-old until their interest in the competition has ended. However, it’s believed they have registered their interest in him with his people ahead of any formal notice handed to Ten Hag.
Next Man Utd manager: Thomas Tuchel credentials talked up
With Tuchel now emerging as favourite to take over this summer, his credentials for the role have been talked up by legendary former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, who believes the German would be a top choice to take the Red Devils forward.
“I like Thomas Tuchel. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing him a couple of times and his football knowledge is fantastic,” Schmeichel told beIN SPORTS amid the speculation.
“He’s been a little bit unlucky with being at two big football clubs at the wrong time of their history, at times where things weren’t working on every level.
“It’s not that he didn’t do well Chelsea, for instance. I mean, he won the Champions League didn’t he?!
“I just like him, there’s something about him. He projects an authority.
“Never compare people but he’s got the same kind of thing that [Jurgen] Klopp has. You know he’s the boss and you know what he’s doing.”
Asked if he would pick Tuchel as Ten Hag’s replacement, Schmeichel was a little more cagey.
“I’m not going to go there! There’s no way. I know it’s speculative… no, I’m not!”
Pressed for an answer by host Richard Keys, the Dane responded: “If Manchester United were in the market for a manager then he should be somebody mentioned in that respect. He should be.
“He has that kind of pedigree, he’s got the authority, he’s proven he can win which I think is really important.
“He doesn’t come with a set system, ‘This is how our football is being played’… yeah, of course, he’s a big-club manager, isn’t he?”
He then added: “[Jurgen] Klopp would be fantastic for Man United as well. I’m not saying that he [Klopp] should be manager!
“I’m just saying that’s the category of manager that Manchester United should have were they to be in the market for a manager.”
