Outgoing Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel would be interested in taking over at Manchester United, according to reports in Germany.
The former Champions League winner is to leave Bayern at the end of the season, with the club unfathomably staring down the barrel of a season without any trophies.
Bayern are usually shoo-ins to win the Bundesliga – they have done so for 11 consecutive seasons – but are trailing an inspired Bayer Leverkusen by eight points and have lost their last three matches across all competitions – the first time they’ve done that since 2015. The latter, in contrast, are unbeaten this season, with their 32-game undefeated streak consisting of 28 wins and four draws.
Tuchel could ironically be succeeded by Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso in the summer – the Spaniard is also in the frame to take over at Liverpool – but he’s unlikely to remain in Germany for his next job opportunity. The former Chelsea boss has previously spoken about how underappreciated he feels in his homeland, with reports suggesting he’d like to return to the Premier League should the opportunity arise.
Sky Sport Germany’s Florian Plettenberg goes as far as to suggest that Tuchel is actively interested in taking over at Manchester United, despite their being no inclination that Sir Jim Ratcliffe intends to replace current incumbent Erik ten Hag in the summer.
The Dutchman has been under pressure at Old Trafford after a difficult first few months of the season, but United look to be finding their groove of late and are back in contention for a top-four finish. Doing so would seal qualification into next season’s Champions League – a competition the Red Devils crashed out of at the group stage this past December after being drawn in Bayern’s group.
“We’re not a sort of a brutal organisation really. But sometimes you do have to make decisions. And maybe not that popular,” Ratcliffe did say in his first public interview after his 27.7 per cent investment was officially announced, though there’s no suggestion Ten Hag’s position is under threat.
“We need to populate all the key roles with people who are best in class, ten out of ten. You [also]need to create this environment which is driven and competitive. It is going to be intense at times, but equally it needs to have warmth and friendliness and be a supportive structure because the two things marry together well. They probably haven’t had that environment for the last ten years.”
The former Ajax manager has admitted that he feels completely aligned with the British billionaire – who will oversee a complete restructuring of football operations at United – but the pressure is on to ensure the club don’t fall short of their goals for the remainder of the season.
Tuchel, meanwhile, is said to feel that he has unfinished business in the Premier League after being sacked by Chelsea, with United said to be an appealing prospect. He has also been linked to taking over at Liverpool and Barcelona.
His 20-month spell in England was bought to a premature end by the enigmatic Todd Boehly, following a summer of complete carnage at Stamford Bridge. Hundreds of millions of pounds were spent on new signings, but Tuchel was axed from his role in September 2022 despite winning the Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup the previous year.
The former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain head coach also led Chelsea to three domestic cup finals, but was unable to lead his side to victory on any of those occasions.
