Man Utd 'lines up Thomas Tuchel' as Erik ten Hag replacement after poor start to season

Manchester United is reportedly eyeing up Thomas Tuchel as a potential replacement for Erik ten Hag.

Former Chelsea boss Tuchel has been without a club since his departure from Bayern at the end of last season. Despite leading Bayern to the Champions League semi-finals, he narrowly missed out on the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen.

Over the summer, United's top brass considered Tuchel as a possible successor to Ten Hag. However, they decided to back the Dutchman, extending his contract before the start of the new season.

Now, it seems the tide may be turning . With only eight points from their first seven league games, United's board is set to meet during the international break to discuss Ten Hag's future.

The Manchester Evening News reports that Tuchel's availability makes him an attractive option. The United hierarchy is also said to be considering other candidates currently employed elsewhere.

A move for Tuchel would represent a swift change in direction after the recent vote of confidence in Ten Hag. In fact, Ten Hag himself revealed over the summer that the club had held talks with Tuchel.

"Manchester United have told me that they spoke with Tuchel, but they eventually came to the conclusion that they already have the best manager," he revealed to NOS. These comments were made during Euro 2024, less than four months ago.

Under Ten Hag's leadership, United managed a goalless draw against Aston Villa on Sunday. This marked their third consecutive league game without a goal, following a 0-0 stalemate at Crystal Palace and a 3-0 loss to Tottenham at home.

Only Southampton, currently in 19th place, have netted fewer goals than the five scored by Ten Hag's squad in the Premier League. Despite this, no player from United has scored more than once in the league, although they've had better luck finding the back of the net in cup competitions.

Despite his team's position in the lower half of the table going into the international break, Ten Hag remained optimistic. "We had that resilience, the whole season," he shared with Match of the Day.

"We conceded three against Tottenham because we were down to 10 and we still went for the win. But for the rest this is our fourth clean sheet. This tells you we are in a good direction. Now also we improve defending counter attacks, and we improve controlling possession. But also we have to improve in the final third."