Neville gives verdict as Tuchel responds to Man Utd speculation

Gary Neville doubts Thomas Tuchel will leave Chelsea in the summer amid speculation linking him to the Man Utd job.

Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino and current Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag are believed to be the leading candidates to replace interim boss Ralf Rangnick in the summer.

However, a report emerged on Wednesday claiming that Man Utd were considering a move for Tuchel with the current uncertainty surrounding Chelsea and Roman Abramovich’s ownership of the club.

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But Neville predicts that Chelsea under new ownership would provide a “really exciting time” for Tuchel if he stayed at Stamford Bridge.

Neville said on Sky Sports: “I think Thomas Tuchel will stay.

“With Chelsea, we’ve seen the reports over the past 24 hours, they are going to swap one multi-billionaire for another, so they are not going to be weaker from a financial point of view.

“If he is settled there, he’s got a good team, he’s achieved success, I don’t think he’d leave if the new ownership came in – and obviously all the restrictions were removed – and gave him the right support on building a project.

“I think when new owners come into a football club that is a really exciting time for a manager because he will be able to exploit the fact that they are going to need to put money into the team and new owners have to put money into the team.

“That’s the first thing fans look for them to do – are you going to support the football side of the business? I think that’s what they’ll have to do in the summer, so they might get £150m-£200m off the new ownership.”

Tuchel worked wonders in his first season at Chelsea in 2021, taking over from Frank Lampard, finishing in the top four of the Premier League and winning the Champions League.

When asked about the speculation linking him to Man Utd, Tuchel responded at a press conference ahead of their FA Cup clash against Middlesbrough: “Do you feel me less committed or involved with this club. Absolutely not.

“I love to work for Chelsea and this club has everything it needs to make me happy.”