Thomas Tuchel to Manchester United was “basically done” before dramatic U-turn, says agent

A football agent has revealed that Thomas Tuchel’s move to Manchester United was “basically done” before a dramatic U-turn saw the move fall through.

Rúben Amorim has been appointed as Manchester United‘s new head coach following the termination of Erik ten Hag‘s contract at the club. Still, just a few months ago, the future almost looked very different.

Following United’s brilliant FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City at the end of the 2023/24 season, there was much debate about whether Ten Hag would remain the side’s manager.

Read More: Rúben Amorim disagrees with Erik ten Hag over ‘incredible’ Manchester United star he wants to coach

Following weeks of internal deliberation and against the wishes of many fans, the club activated a one-year extension in the Dutchman’s contract, cementing his stay at Old Trafford until at least 2026.

However, just a few months later, United’s leadership team revoked their show of faith in the Dutch boss, sacking him from his position after a 2-1 loss against West Ham.

Tuchel was “basically done”

Before United chose to keep Ten Hag in the summer, co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS delegation held meetings with multiple other potential candidates for the position, one of which was Thomas Tuchel, who had just left Bayern Munich.

Ratcliffe himself met with Tuchel in Monaco, and according to football agent Israeli Zahavi, who represents big hitters such as Christopher Nkunku, Robert Lewandowski and former United academy star Angel Gomes, the German manager’s move to United was “basically done” before he took a dramatic U-turn and rejected the chance to take over.

“If I were Thomas, I would have gone to Manchester United. He had the opportunity. Everything was prepared, the deal was basically done,” Zahavi told Die Welt.

“Thomas has a spark of genius in him,” he added. “But in today’s football you have to be wise and a diplomat. He will have to learn that.”

An alternate reality

A few months later, Tuchel accepted an offer from the FA to become England’s next manager – a role he will start in January 2025.

Rúben Amorim will become United’s new head coach as of 11 November. Still, there is an alternate reality where Tuchel accepted United’s offer last summer and would be gearing up to face a packed winter schedule at Old Trafford.

Ultimately, a lot of the club’s fans will be happy that the path United took ultimately led to Amorim being in charge instead of Tucuhel. However, the 2024/25 campaign has been miserable so far, and this must change for order to restore within the 20-time Premier League champions.

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