If Manchester United choose to replace Erik ten Hag this summer, they could do a lot worse than bring in Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel, who will leave Bayern Munich this summer, wants a second crack at life in England and is understood to be keen on the United job, while reports suggest Ten Hag may even be offered the chance to fill his void in Germany.
At United, Tuchel’s first decision will be to settle on a formation. He favoured a 3-4-2-1 with Chelsea but turned to a 4-2-3-1 with Bayern, and a four-man defence may be the best bet with a top-heavy United side full of quality in the final third.
Here’s how Tuchel could set up at Old Trafford.
Tuchel, like 99% of managers out there, wants a goalkeeper who can play with the ball at their feet, so Andre Onana’s position should be safe.
Onana may be asked to keep things a little simpler than he likes to, but there’s no reason to believe this link-up wouldn’t work out.
Attacking wing-backs were key to Tuchel’s success at Chelsea, and while he may not play with traditional wing-backs in Manchester, Tuchel will still want somebody who can fly forwards and get involved as much as possible.
Around Europe, no player has done that better this year than Jeremie Frimpong. The Bayer Leverkusen star is already a reported target for United and there’s no way Tuchel would try put an end to that deal.
There’s a bit of a defensive clear-out coming at United this summer. Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans could be released, while both Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof could be sold, but Lisandro Martinez will be going nowhere.
Centre-back has been an area of concern for Tuchel at Bayern, but he’ll relish the chance to turn Martinez into the sort of player Antonio Rudiger was for him at Chelsea.
United want a new centre-back but Tuchel would not have many positive things to say about the group he worked with at Bayern. After all, there’s a reason he was so keen to land Ronald Araujo’s signature in January.
Araujo is on United’s radar as well, and while Barcelona may insist he isn’t for sale, it feels like the Spanish outfit are going to have to cash in on one big name this summer, and you can guarantee Tuchel would try and convince them to part ways with Araujo.
A budget alternative for this position would be Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah, who enjoyed perhaps the finest spell of his young career under Tuchel.
Luke Shaw needs to stay fit if he wants a career at United.
When he’s on form, he’s a sensational player and Tuchel will be well aware of that, but left-back could easily become an area of concern for the German if Shaw finds himself battling with injuries again next season.
Tuchel enjoyed working with the likes of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic at Chelsea, relishing a ball-playing midfielder who can take control of the possession battle.
At just 19 years old, Kobbie Mainoo may not have the experience Tuchel is looking for but the boss would quickly figure out that the academy graduate really is the real deal.
A defensive midfielder is key to Tuchel’s setup. He loved N’Golo Kante’s recoveries and has relied on Konrad Laimer to do the same for Bayern, but the Austrian only had the chance to impress because a deal for Fulham’s Joao Palhinha fell through.
Palhinha has proven himself to be a powerful anchor in the Premier League and United officials would appreciate a move for a target who does not need to adjust to life in England. Any such move would spell the end for Casemiro.
If Tuchel moved to United, he would jump at the chance to prove his love for Mason Mount once again. The German waxed lyrical about Mount’s importance to his Chelsea side and would gleefully give the midfielder the same sort of influence in Manchester.
A role out wide on the right may not be ideal for Mount, but he would be given plenty of freedom to move inside and allow a marauding wing-back like Frimpong to handle the width.
During his days as Paris Saint-Germain manager, Tuchel tried to sign Bruno Fernandes, who he described as “one of the best midfielders in the world”.
Tuchel would clearly be keen to finally get his hands on Fernandes, who would remain the heartbeat of this team’s attack.
Alejandro Garnacho is a cornerstone of United’s future, but he’s also an outstanding talent in the present.
Mimicking someone like Leroy Sane or Serge Gnabry, Garnacho would be challenged to drive at defenders and cause havoc out wide while Fernandes and Mount pull the strings in the centre.
As tempting as it is to suggest Harry Kane for this role, there’s no way Bayern would entertain offloading the Englishman, and so Tuchel will have to make do with the ever-improving Rasmus Hojlund, who would hope to be a little more involved than he has been under Ten Hag.
United do want a new backup, however, and the obvious shout is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabon international dazzled under Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund before their Chelsea reunion was cut comically short, and now 34-year-old Aubameyang is flying with Marseille. He’s firmly in the race to be Ligue 1’s top scorer not named Kylian Mbappe, and that should appeal to United.
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