Tuchel to consider taking a break from football after leaving Bayern Munich Photo: Getty Images/Markus Gilliar
Thomas Tuchel rules himself out opportunity to become the new head coach of Manchester United if the club decides to sack Erik ten Hag.
Instead, the former Bayern Munich coach has decided to take a leave of absence and is considering a year's break from football.< /p>
Tuchel held detailed talks in Monaco with Sir Jim Ratcliffe last Tuesday and United hope to decide by the end of this week whether they will finally replace Ten Hag.
It looks like Tuchel is unlikely to receive an offer. position, although this is disputed by sources close to the German.
Negotiations also took place either directly or with representatives of Mauricio Pochettino, Roberto De Zerbi and Brentford head coach Thomas Frank. However, Telegraph Sport have reported that Pochettino's appointment is also unlikely.
The other candidate was thought to be Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna, the former United first-team coach, but he has signed a new contract with the newly promoted club .
Tuchel calls United 'special' United sources still insist no final decision has been made on Ten Hag's future as the club conducts a promised review of its football operations. They claim they will not be in a rush.
However, Tuchel's decision comes as a surprise given that he has not only made it clear that he wants to return to the Premier League, but also believes United is the ideal place for him. if this job appears.
Tuchel spoke of how “special” Old Trafford was ahead of Bayern's Champions League game away to United last autumn. He has also been interested in the club and appreciates its size and potential. It is therefore possible that United have withdrawn their interest.
A report from German newspaper Bild claims that Tuchel has discussed at length with Ratcliffe how he can get the best out of certain players and how to deal with loanee Jadon Sancho in Borussia Dortmund after a quarrel with Ten Hag.
While transfer funds will be available, United's priority is to improve the club's infrastructure and make the most of underperforming players. It's unlikely United will spend big this summer.
However, Bayern's difficult season appears to have taken its toll on the 50-year-old manager, who won the Champions League with Chelsea, not least because the club made a decision at the 11th hour to try to convince him to stay.< /p>
This only happened after they were rejected by other candidates, including Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann and Ralf Rangnick. Tuchel appears to have decided he needed a break after such a difficult campaign and, if one could be offered, United came to him too soon, despite negotiations.
On 21 February it was announced that Tuchel was leaving Bayern after a disappointing season domestically, but then he led the team to the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they were unlucky to lose to eventual winners Real Madrid.
Ten Hag's frustration over delay in making a decision on his future
The United break doesn't help Ten Hag, who went on holiday straight after the FA Cup final win over Manchester City two weeks ago and has yet to return informed whether he will lead the team next season. He has one more year left on his contract.
Ratcliffe, a British billionaire, owns 28 percent of United but has full operational control over the football side of the business. Ten Hag's fate is in his hands as United welcome new chief executive Omar Berrada next month, who will work with new technical director Jason Wilcox, who arrives from Southampton, and Dan Ashworth, who they hope will soon take over as sporting director .
Despite the reorganization, Ten Hag is understandably frustrated by how long the decision-making process about his future is taking – not least because he announced his involvement in it was over before the end season – because he insisted that he would remain on the team. post.
Ten Hag said that despite United finishing eighth in the Premier League, he deserved the opportunity to work within the club's new framework and had previously been hampered by the way things were organised.
< p>This, and the length of the review (although it is possible that United simply want to sort out their succession plan), suggests that Ten Hag still has an unlikely chance of continuing his career.
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