Man Utd: Ten Hag replacement identified after manager was ‘almost in agreement’ to take over
Thomas Tuchel has been identified as the man to take over from Erik ten Hag if Man Utd choose to sack the Dutchman after being close to taking over in the summer, according to reports.
The former Chelsea boss has been out of work since leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season and there were rumours over the summer that he could be in line to take over Ten Hag in the Old Trafford hotseat.
Despite talks with a number of candidates, Man Utd decided to stick with Ten Hag and put their faith in the Dutchman leading the Red Devils into INEOS era.
Ten Hag led Man Utd to an FA Cup final, League Cup success and a top-four finish in his first season at the helm but there were lots of rumours last term that he could be sacked following a terrible eighth-placed finish.
An FA Cup final victory over Man City appeased supporters as the win saw them qualify for the Europa League and lift silverware for the second season in a row.
Ten Hag got off to a positive start this term with a narrow home win over Fulham on the opening weekend but back-to-back defeats to Brighton and Liverpool have piled pressure on the Man Utd boss once again.
It was the manner of the 3-0 defeat at home to arch-rivals Liverpool that sent alarm bells around Old Trafford with many still struggling to see Ten Hag stamp a playing style or identity on his side after two years at the helm.
There were reports on Tuesday that Man Utd ‘are likely to pursue Thomas Tuchel if they do choose to make a managerial change’ with ‘many of last season’s problems are still evident’.
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And now German pundit Marcel Reif insists he has hard off “someone who is very close” to the situation around Tuchel and Man Utd that the two parties were “almost in agreement” about the former Chelsea boss taking over in the summer.
Reif told German publication Bild (via Sport Witness): “I would have bet a lot that Tuchel would replace Ten Hag. I recently had another conversation with someone who is very close to that. It was pretty far along, almost in agreement.”
When asked why the move then ultimately failed at the time, Reif replied: “As far as the squad is concerned, the considerations were different. Tuchel said pretty much at the finish line: ‘I’m not doing that! I won’t do that to myself again, that I go to a club and then things come from outside.'”
