Man Utd icons already in Thomas Tuchel's bad books as Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'turns to German'
Erik ten Hag's time at Manchester United could be coming to an end, and Thomas Tuchel – man who is favourite to replace him – has a fractious relationship with the club's icons
by Abbie Meehan · The MirrorThomas Tuchel previously criticised the pressure that the likes of Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand put on Manchester United bosses, as rumours surrounding Erik ten Hag's future continue.
The Dutchman is under significant pressure at Old Trafford after an underwhelming start to the season. United's poor opening couple of months has led to speculation that Ten Hag could be sacked during the international break.
The Red Devils are 14th in the Premier League table, with two wins, two draws and three defeats to their name. Alarmingly, Ten Hag's side have managed just five goals in the top-flight and none in their three most recent matches, including a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa on Sunday.
Now it has been claimed the United hierarchy are lining up ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss Tuchel to replace Ten Hag. According to the Manchester Evening News, the German's availability makes him an appealing candidate, while the club's higher-ups are said to be interested in other unnamed candidates who are otherwise employed.
Ten Hag's fate could be sealed on Tuesday, when United's executive committee will meet in London. If United get rid of Ten Hag and appoint Tuchel, club legends like Neville and Ferdinand already know where they stand with the German. Tuchel has previously former United stars in the media for the supposed pressure they place on leaders at the club.
Speaking before United took on Bayern Munich in the Champions League last season - when Tuchel was manager of the Bundesliga giants - he claimed that the outside talk from former players turned pundits always create "noise".
The 51-year-old said at the time: "There is always a lot of noise around Manchester United. A lot of pundits in the UK are from Manchester United. You have a legacy from Alex Ferguson which creates expectations around the club.
"All of us, me in Bayern and my colleague at Man Utd, want to achieve the same things. It is pretty common at Man Utd that little things become a bit bigger or the talking is a bit noisier."
Tuchel has already been placed in the limelight for the United job, as he met with co-chairman Ratcliffe in the summer to discuss a potential job offer. However, when asked if he had faith in Ten Hag for the season ahead, Ratcliffe said: "I don't want to answer that question."
He also went on to note that the decision makers at the club were chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth - who both took up their positions in July, meaning they had no say in Ten Hag's contract extension at the end of last season.
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Ten Hag was asked about his future following Sunday's 0-0 draw with Aston Villa. He said: "So I don’t have any idea that is different because they should have told me. We communicate very open, very transparent. I speak continuously with them and just after the game I have to do my job, talk with the players, manage the players and answer questions from you. We always talk. Every week, I would say every day we talk, so I expect I will speak with them."
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