Thomas Tuchel's chances of taking Man Utd job as 'firefighter' if Erik ten Hag is sacked

Thomas Tuchel appears unlikely to replace Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager in the middle of the season. That is according to German football pundit pundit Marcel Reif, who has claimed the former Chelsea boss is not a “firefighter.”

Tuchel was reportedly close to taking over as Manchester United boss this summer after Erik ten Hag struggled last term. The Dutchman came under tremendous pressure after a poor campaign which saw the Red Devils finish eighth in the Premier League.

Now, with two losses from their opening three games, including an embarrassing 3-0 home defeat against Liverpool, the Red Devils are once more facing questions about Ten Hag. Despite lifting the FA Cup last campaign, Ten Hag’s tenure was called into question after the end of last season, and it seemed as though replacements were being touted.

The decision was made, however, to leave the reins in the Dutchman’s hands – with former Ajax boss ultimately handed a one-year extension to his current deal. He has been backed in the transfer window, with over £200million spent on the likes of Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, and Manuel Ugarte. Yet, apart from a far from impressive 1-0 opening victory over Fulham on the opening day, United have disappointed against Brighton and Liverpool, putting the Dutchman under severe pressure.

That has ramped up speculation about Ten Hag’s future, with Tuchel once again rated as one of the favourites to replace him. The German’s last job at Bayern Munich ended abruptly after he failed to win the Bundesliga title, falling dramatically short against Xabi Alonso’s imperious Bayer Leverkusen side.

Tuchel was susbequently linked to a host of top jobs, including United. According to the Mail. Tuchel met with minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco over the summer break, and potential plans for the former Chelsea and PSG boss to take over at Old Trafford were mooted.

Yet, disagreements on transfer policy – as have been a custom throughout Tuchel’s managerial career – reportedly scuppered any deal, and Ten Hag was handed his extension and, along with it, the confidence of United’s hierarchy.

The current campaign has started so poorly for United that rumours are beginning to swirl over how long Ten Hag will be given. Tuchel, as someone who has supposedly been in conversation with United prior, seems like an obvious candidate to come in mid-season to right the ship.

BILD report that an agreement between both Tuchel and the Red Devils was surprisingly close this summer, with pundit Reif telling the German outlet: “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.

“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.’”

However, the chances of Tuchel being called upon mid-season have been described as slim. “Tuchel is not a firefighter,” Reif continued. “Tuchel wants to build something and for this, you need a full transfer window, you need to change things.”

Despite this, the manager has previously expressed his desire to return to the Premier League after winning the Champions League with Chelsea. “I’d rather not answer, but it is no secret that I loved it at Chelsea. I loved it in England,” Tuchel stated in May when queried over an English top-flight return. “I loved it in the Premier League for sure, it was a very, very special time and I remember it very well.”