Manchester United did recently hold some talks with Thomas Tuchel to inform him he’d be their number one replacement if Erik ten Hag were to be shown the door at Old Trafford, a report from the Times has confirmed.
Tuchel has today been officially announced as the new manager of the England national team, with the German tactician replacing Gareth Southgate after he stepped down shortly after the defeat to Spain in this summer’s Euro 2024 final.
Still, it seems Tuchel could also have had the chance to take over at Man Utd, according to the Times, with the Red Devils clearly keen on the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss.
However, it perhaps makes sense that Tuchel wasn’t willing to wait around for too much longer when a big team like England were also interested, and this could be a blow for United if they do decide to part ways with Ten Hag soon, as their top target is no longer available.
Thomas Tuchel to England is a big loss for Manchester United
United fans will surely be hugely disappointed to see Tuchel escaping their grasp like this, as the 51-year-old would surely have been an upgrade on Ten Hag.
It’s proven a huge challenge for Ten Hag at Old Trafford, and it’s hard to imagine him lasting much longer, though this latest development makes it that much harder to sack him as it’s not clear who else could be targeted for the job.
Tuchel won the Champions League during his time as Chelsea manager, while he has also enjoyed success at other major clubs, so it’s no surprise MUFC viewed him as someone who could be ideal to turn things around for them.
United’s loss is England’s gain, though, as Tuchel will now come in as the permanent replacement for Southgate after Lee Carsley took temporary charge of the team in recent games.
If Eric is to be asked, we should go all out for Zinedine Zidane who is the only elite manager left to handle manutd.