Thomas Tuchel had been first on Manchester United’s wishlist of managers to replace Erik ten Hag, but the German coach didn’t seem to be pushing hard to move to Old Trafford this summer, nor did the Red Devils seem ready to axe their current manager despite rampant criticism.
Ten Hag managed to survive another lengthy internal meeting from the INEOS leadership, who deliberated on the Dutchman’s future at Old Trafford prior to initiating their summer 2024 transfer plans.
Despite Manchester United investing heavily in their squad, the initial results have been poor, with the club sitting 14th at the October international fixtures. Thus, the Tuchel rumors heated up.
However, in another twist, Tuchel has taken the England national team appointment after rumors briefly surfaced last week, succeeding Gareth Southgate in what is a considerable upgrade.
Tuchel is a career club manager who has reached two Champions League Finals and set records at multiple top clubs, so he was seen as the dream get for Manchester United.
Now that Tuchel is off the table, Manchester United have a much less enticing wishlist of managers, which makes it easier for Ten Hag to continue to skate by with his job intact.
The prospect of hiring Tuchel could have pressured INEOS into firing Ten Hag sooner, so the manager may feel like his leash has lengthened a little bit with, by far, the best candidate off the table.
Now, the market is only littered with questionable potential hires like Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, and even the previously rumored Southgate himself. All have clear flaws, though Potter and Pochettino do have past Premier League track records.
Tuchel’s decision to choose England over Manchester United comes as yet another huge blow to the Red Devils, who have to ask serious questions about their ability to attract top coaches at this juncture.
Meanwhile, Ten Hag will love this development, because it allows him to buy some time, though, for the fans, that may come as frustration due to the clear lack of progress Man United have made under Ten Hag since the start of the 2023/24 season.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.