Rio Ferdinand reveals what he told Man Utd managerial target Thomas Tuchel before Champions League semi-final

Rio Ferdinand embraces Thomas Tuchel before the Champions League semi-final (Picture: TNT Sports)

Rio Ferdinand has revealed what he told Manchester United managerial target Thomas Tuchel before his Bayern Munich side faced Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Bundesliga giants Bayern were in action at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night for their semi-final second leg against La Liga champions Madrid.

The tie was evenly-poised after a 2-2 draw in Germany last week, with the winner set to face Borussia Dortmund in the June 1 final at London’s Wembley stadium

The Champions League represents Tuchel’s last chance to win some silverware as Bayern boss, with his side failing to win the Bundesliga this season and falling short in cup competitions.

Tuchel is widely expected to leave Bayern Munich this summer, admitting before the Madrid game that he was ‘very likely’ to be on the move.

In recent weeks the German manager has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, who are losing faith in current boss Erik ten Hag and considering going in a new direction at the end of the season.

Given the speculation, it was interesting to see Old Trafford legend Ferdinand embrace Tuchel before kick-off at the Bernabeu and appear to share a joke or two with the 50-year-old.

Asked what he said to Tuchel, who is aiming to reach his third Champions League final, Ferdinand told TNT Sports: ‘I just said good luck to him, he’s so relaxed and he’s such a calm character.

‘You’d never know this is a semi-final of the Champions League and the last chance for him to win a trophy this season. Good luck to him.’

Ex-Liverpool and Real Madrid winger Steve McManaman then asked Ferdinand if the topic of Manchester United came up during the pitchside chat.

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Ferdinand responded: ‘That was the final bit of the talk! Where are you going?!’

Speaking later in the show, Ferdinand said of Tuchel’s future: ‘I think he’s still got enough in the tank. No matter what happens today, he’ll still have some big offers.

‘But listen, if he manages to get to the final and get his hand on the trophy just behind you there, I think the world’s his oyster again. He can say what he wants and do what he wants.’

Discussing his future before Bayern Munich took on 14-time European champions Real Madrid, Tuchel said: ‘It is very, very, very unlikely that [my future is] at Bayern because we have an agreement and at the moment there is no reason to doubt this agreement.

‘It is no secret that I loved it at Chelsea, I loved it in England, I loved it in the Premier League. For sure, it was a very special time and I remember it very well.’

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