Thomas Tuchel was a man in demand before landing the England gig (Picture: Getty Images)
Manchester United made clear to Thomas Tuchel that he was top of their list if they choose to replace Erik ten Hag, before the German took the England job.
It was something of a surprise when the 51-year-old was revealed as Gareth Southgate’s permanent replacement on Tuesday, with the likes of interim boss Lee Carsley, Eddie Howe and even Pep Guardiola touted as more likely contenders.
Tuchel has also been strongly linked with a return to club management after leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season.
Notably Manchester United have been very interested in his services and talks were held over the summer between the two parties.
No agreement could be reached and the Red Devils instead decided to extend the contract of current manager Erik ten Hag.
That decision has come in for questioning since, though, as Manchester United have made a nightmare start to the season, sitting 14th in the Premier League after seven games, with just two wins and five goals scored so far in the top flight.
Erik ten Hag was nearly replaced by Tuchel over the summer (Picture: Getty Images)
The Times reports that the interest from Old Trafford did not die down, despite the failure to come to terms over the summer.
The report states that ‘in recent weeks Tuchel was made aware’ that if the axe were to fall on Ten Hag then he would be United’s first choice to replace him.
Tuchel was clearly not ready to wait around for whatever the Red Devils were going to offer and is set to be confirmed as the new England boss on a deal worth £5m a year.
The new manager will take charge in January 2025 on an 18-month contract which will see him lead England into the 2026 World Cup in Canada, USA and Mexico.
The report from The Times also states that AC Milan held an interest in bringing in Tuchel, who was clearly not short of options before accepting the FA’s offer.
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