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Thomas Tuchel has been named the next permanent England manager.
The 51-year-old German is set to succeed Gareth Southgate with the Three Lions and will begin in his position on January 1 2025. Having enjoyed spells with PSG, Chelsea and Bayern Munich in the past, Tuchel brings a plethora of experience.
But it isn’t his first steps into international football that have hit the headlines over the past 18 months, with Tuchel time and time again linked with a job in the Premier League with Manchester United. So, the question remains, just how close was he to joining the Red Devils?
Thomas Tuchel was Manchester United’s number one candidate, IF Erik ten Hag left the club
According to The Times, the former Blues boss was outlined as Manchester United’s first-choice candidate to replace Erik ten Hag, should minority owners INEOS have opted to part ways with him earlier this month.
Ten Hag has faced increasing pressure at Old Trafford over the past three months, given his side has made a poor start to the new season, winning just two Premier League games so far.
It is also worth remembering that Tuchel held talks with members of Manchester United’s newly formed footballing department regarding the position in the summer before they opted to offer Ten Hag a new contract.
The Dutchman led the Red Devils to a second trophy under his tenure by winning the Emirates FA Cup earlier this year, beating local rivals Manchester City 2-1 thanks to goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
Tuchel’s new role with England brings an end to his never-ending links with one of the biggest clubs in world football, with his new task a chance to end years of near misses with England, following the Three Lions’ post-Euro 2024 slump.
“I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team,” began the German. “I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, and it has given me some incredible moments already. To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege, and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting.”
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What has Erik ten Hag had to say on his future?
It is clear Ten Hag knows he needs to turn things around to save his job, starting with Manchester United’s next game, a home clash against Brentford this weekend.
The former Ajax boss has been fairly outspoken in the past regarding his position, insisting he does not doubt that he still has the full backing of the club’s new minority owners, INEOS.
“No, not thinking about this,” Ten Hag replied when asked about his future in September. “We all made a togetherness, this decision, to stay together as an ownership, as a leadership group in the summer.
“And also we made the decision from a clear review, what we have to improve as an organisation and how we want to construct a squad. They are all decision-making in togetherness.
“But we also knew it will take some time because of how the window went, some players were late in like [Manuel] Ugarte, we have to integrate him now. Also, we had to make some improvements in organisation, we still have to deal with some injuries, impact players. We will get better there, we need some time.”
In FourFourTwo’s view, Manchester United made the right call in sticking with Ten Hag, given their obsession with chopping and changing managers following Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013. Time is needed and another new appointment would have likely meant things got a whole lot worse before they got better…
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