Celebrity manager Thomas Tuchel, who has been tipped as one of the favorites to replace Eric ten Hag at Manchester United, has said joining the England national team manager would be “simple”. The Germany manager said his decision was not against Manchester United but for England, suggesting he was simply more interested in the project presented by the FA’s John McDermott and Mark Bullingham.
Thomas Tuchel is the New England manager.
Suddenly, England announced Tuchel as their next manager on Wednesday 16 October. The German tactician is the third foreign coach of the England national team, following Sweden’s Sven-Göran Eriksson and Italy’s Fabio Capello.
Tuchel has signed a somewhat short-term contract with the Three Lions, with his current deal expiring after the 2026 FIFA World Cup. England will have the freedom to sack him or extend his stay depending on the team’s performance at the 2026 World Cup.
Tuchel will officially take charge of the first team from January 1, 2025 and will become the current caretaker president. This means Lee Carsley returns as coach of the U21 team.
Thomas Tuchel explains why he did not join Manchester United
Before becoming England manager, Tuchel was believed to be one of the frontrunners to replace the struggling Ten Hag at Old Trafford. Naturally, everyone is wondering why the former Bayern Munich and Chelsea manager decided to get involved in international management.
When asked about Manchester United, Tuchel told the media (via TeamTalk):
“The ideas and methods presented by John (McDermott) and Mark (Bullingham) were very fast and confidential.
“meIt was very simple. It was a decision for this thing and not against anything else.” Tuchel told the media when asked about Manchester United.”
He added:
“They made it clear that it was about football and that excited me. I wasn’t sure if this was the right thing for me because my schedule was so different. I always wanted to return to England and that was a big goal of mine.
“The proposal came at the right time and we found a shared vision. Now I have to live up to it. I know there are a few trophies to be won and I want to help make that happen..”
According to The Mirror, Manchester United held a meeting with Tuchel last summer. However, the transfer was canceled as the two sides could not agree on a transfer policy.
