Goodbye Erik ten Hag? Thomas Tuchel meets Manchester United owner over manager job

Manchester United part-owner, Jim Ratcliffe has held a meeting with former Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel as the club hopes to clarify its position on the next manager. The Red Devils are undecided about the future of Erik ten Hag who has made the decision difficult after winning the FA Cup with a depleted squad last month.

Ratcliffe, the British billionaire, owns a 28 per cent stake in United and reportedly met Tuchel in Monaco for face-to-face talks.

In February, the record Bundesliga champions announced they had decided to terminate their collaboration with Tuchel at the end of the ongoing season despite his contract running till 2025.

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While Tuchel did lead Bayern to a Bundesliga title last season, he could not emulate a similar performance in the 23-24 season as Bayer Leverkusen won the title for the first time in their history. He led Bayern to UCL semifinals where the team lost to eventual winners, Real Madrid.

Having previously managed Chelsea to Champions League glory, Tuchel has the required experience of competing in England as well as Europe. If he does to come to Old Trafford, it would be incredibly harsh on Ten Hag who had to deal with a plethora of injuries during the season.

I'll go somewhere else - Ten Hag

Ten Hag's future has remained in air since the FA Cup final when reports stated that the United board was waiting for the end-of-the-season assessment to make a decision. However, it has been over a fortnight and United are yet to make any announcement.

Despite the uncertainty around his job, Ten Hag was in high spirits after the FA Cup win and said he will take his business elsewhere if he is given the sack.

"Two trophies in two years is not bad, three finals in two years is not bad," said Ten Hag.

"If theydon'twant me,thenI go somewhere else to win trophies because that is what I do," he added.

As things stand, United are likely to wait until the start of pre-season where they could clear who will be the man in charge when the 2024-25 season begins.

(With inputs from agencies)