MANCHESTER UNITED’s board MUST take Jamie Carragher’s advice and do everything they can to appoint Thomas Tuchel as the next permanent manager.
The upheaval at Chelsea means that Tuchel’s position may become problematic between now and the summer.
United were knocked out of the Champions League by Atlético Madrid on Tuesday evening.
Although the Red Devils are mathematically still in the race to qualify for the Champions League next season via the Premier League, given their indifferent form there are not many United supporters who think they will.
But, whether it’s the Champions League, Europa League or no European football at all next season, the big talking point amongst supporters is who will be in the dugout.
United, as Gary Neville has said on numerous occasions, must go for “best in class”.
But what exactly does that mean in relation to United’s pursuit of a new manager, and why does Tuchel fit the profile above all others?
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Punters brave torrential rain and mud as Day 2 races get underway
Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are the two best managers in world football.
Unfortunately, they manage Manchester City and Liverpool.
Automatically, you then have to look at who the “best of the rest” is, and names like Diego Simeone and Antonio Conte.
It would be very difficult to get Simeone away from Madrid, and why would he leave a side that beat United so comfortably over two legs?
The scoreline tells us that only one goal separated the teams, but Simeone’s side were in cruise control for the majority of both legs.
Conte is an interesting shout; but United could and should have moved for the Italian when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer departed.
Tottenham have since secured the fiery Italian and a move from North London would appear very unlikely.
The next group of names includes Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino and is led by current Chelsea manager Tuchel.
A fortnight ago it would have seemed impossible to imagine, but why wouldn’t United be interested in a manager who won the Champions League last season?
Ten Hag has a record of excellence with Ajax but his trophy success has come in a league where Ajax are expected to win at least the league title each season.
If Tuchel is happy at Chelsea, then United should look to the Dutchman to take over, despite his Champions League exit with Ajax to Benfica.
That is because of his footballing philosophy which focuses on attacking football, promoting the youth and entertaining the crowd – something that sounds very similar to United under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The bookies’ favourite and a huge mistake would be Paris Saint-Germain’s Mauricio Pochettino.
The former Tottenham manager should go on and win Ligue 1 this season, but the campaign has been littered with some strange results, and another Champions League disappointment, this time at the hands of Real Madrid.
The process must be conducted properly, but if there’s a chance with Tuchel, then United must do all they can to secure him.
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