Manchester United in discussions with Thomas Tuchel to replace Erik ten Hag: report

Manchester United target Thomas Tuchel during his unveiling as Bayern Munich coach in March 2023.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United have held talks with Thomas Tuchel over the German replacing Erik ten Hag as manager.

That's according to new reports following the Red Devils' difficult weekend at Wembley, in which Ten Hag's men threw a 3-0 lead away against Coventry City. The Championship side managed to take 12-time FA Cup winners Manchester United to penalties, despite being out of the game at one stage, heaping pressure on Ten Hag.

Form under the Dutchman has been patchy over the last few weeks, with new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe expected to relieve Ten Hag of duties, regardless of whether or not he wins the Cup. 

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag talks to his players ahead of their penalty shootout against Coventry City in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley in April 2024.

Erik ten Hag is expected to leave United after the FA Cup semi-final debacle (Image credit: Getty Images)

Kicker journalist Georg Holzner has confirmed via a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Tuchel has been contacted by United over becoming their next manager.

The outgoing Bayern Munich boss has surrendered a first Bundesliga title since 2012 to Bayer Leverkusen and Xabi Alonso, yet successfully navigated Die Roten into the semi-finals of the Champions League last week at Arsenal's expense. Holzner noted that Ratcliffe “highly values” the German.

Tuchel is apparently only focused on the end of the season with Bayern, which he will complete before departing Bavaria following a poor season. Liverpool have been linked with hiring him, too. 

Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe speaks during a media event to unveil the company's "Ineos Fusilier" outside the Grenadier public House in London on February 23, 2024. Manchester United new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe unveiled Friday his Ineos group's latest 4x4 electric vehicle, while calling on governments to understand the limitations of climate-friendly vehicles.

Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a noted admirer of Thomas Tuchel (Image credit: DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

In FourFourTwo's view, Tuchel is one of the more experienced options on the market for the likes of Liverpool and United to turn to – but while he's no doubt been sounded out over his interest in a move to Old Trafford, there's no indication that he's currently the favourite for the role.

Other options like Graham Potter and Gareth Southgate could well be favoured by Ratcliffe, with Tuchel as a backup option. 

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Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.