With Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United future uncertain, there always appeared to be a chance that Thomas Tuchel would be putting pen to paper on a contract in England this month.
However, few would have imagined, when the international break begun, that the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich boss would be unveiled as the new manager, not of Manchester United, but the England national team.
In a genuine rug-pull of an appointment, the European Championship runners-up have not only hired a coach who could conceivably end their near six-decade trophy drought at the 2026 World Cup.
But also the man many had assumed would take Ten Hag’s place in the Old Trafford dugout.
Thomas Tuchel joins England to end Manchester United rumours
According to iNews, Tuchel was still on Ineos’ radar after talks with Man United over the summer.
The German turned down the Red Devils job at the time due to concerns over how much power he would have at a club who had recently hired Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox to reduce the demands on their head coach.
The United bosses may have been hoping that Thomas Tuchel would remain available beyond October, with Ten Hag given another few weeks to turn things around.
Those best-laid plans went awry, however, when the German signed on the dotted line on a contract presented to him by the FA. Tuchel is officially now the third foreign coach in England’s history, hoping to succeed where Fabio Capello and Sven Goren Eriksson both fell short.
And, during his official unveiling, Tuchel was inevitably asked about the Man United rumours which have been swirling around his head throughout the last few months.
The 2021 Champions League winner would not give too much away regarding that United interest. He did credit technical director John McDermott and chief executive officer Mark Bullingham, however, for the manner in which the England job was presented.
“The idea and the way John and Mark presented it was very fast and confidential,” Tuchel says in response to that Man United question. “It was very straightforward. It was a decision for this job and not against anything else.”
Tuchel explains signing an 18 month Three Lions contract
Tuchel has made no secret of his desire to return to England, the man who took Chelsea to European glory feeling he had unfinished business on British soil.
Having had to deal with the politics of club football at Chelsea, Bayern and PSG, however, it appears that the uncompromising and often prickly 51-year-old is just glad to have a job where he can focus solely on the training pitch.
“[McDermott and Bullingham] made it clear it’s about football and that got me excited. I wasn’t sure this was the job for me because the schedule is very different. I always wanted to come back to England, that was my big goal,” adds Tuchel, a truly elite tactician with a particular penchant for knockout tournaments.
“The offer came at the right time and we found a vision to share. Now I have to live up to it. I know there are some trophies [to target] and I want to help that happen.”
Tuchel signs a short contract which is due to run out after the 2026 World Cup. There is, however, the potential of a longer-term stay should things go to plan.
“It’s 18 months, and then we agreed to sit together and we’ll see. I have good experience with 18-months, unfortunately sometimes. I’m working on my long-term game!” Tuchel smiles.
“This is something that can really excite me to the fullest. The timeframe of 18 months [creates the] demand from myself to not lose the focus. It’s a good timeframe because it will help us focus.
“It is very streamlined.”
United in Focus understands that Ineos are not panicking about Tuchel no longer being on the market, however.
While he was a popular figure among sections of the Man United support and had some admirers behind the scenes too, there is a reason why the Red Devils bosses did not make an immediate return for Tuchel even when the results nosedived under Ten Hag in September.
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