The manager of Bayern Munich is among the favorites to succeed Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford should he decide to leave the team in the summer, according to the most recent Man United news.
Thomas Tuchel reacts at the assistant referee during the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg match between Real Madrid and FC Bayern Munich at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. (Image: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
If Manchester United chooses to hire Thomas Tuchel in the summer, their manager might be barred from playing in European competitions.
As doubts about the Dutchman’s future at the team grow, the current Bayern Munich and former Chelsea manager is currently the favorite to succeed Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. After United’s disappointing 4-0 away loss to Crystal Palace on Monday night, speculation increased.
Although Sir Jim Ratcliffe is “not completely sold” on Ten Hag, the Manchester Evening News understands that United are planning to proceed with the working assumption that he will stay in charge for the upcoming season. On Wednesday night, Tuchel led his Bayern team against Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final. After losing by a score of 2-1 in the last minute, his team will not win a trophy for the first time since 2012.
However, his response to a contentious play in the game after the game may put him in hot water with UEFA. Bayern did have the ball in the net after Joselu’s late goal for Real Madrid, but it was disallowed for offside.
Before Matthijs de Ligt scored, referee Szymon Marciniak blew his whistle to end the match, but not before the assistant referee raised his flag when the ball was placed inside the Madrid box. Although the offside call appeared to be close in replays, the whistle having been blown precluded VAR from interfering and overturning the ruling.
Tuchel responded angrily to that in his press conference following the game. “It violates every rule in contemporary football,” he declared.
“When he was unsure, he also did it against Alfonso Davies. It was a bold and incorrect decision to raise the flag, requiring courage and guts.
“The referee then had the option to decide whether or not to whistle, but opted to do so. On the other hand, that would not have occurred.”
Now, UEFA might intervene and accuse Tuchel of inciting bias among the referees. The Sun says that a decision is anticipated by the beginning of next week, but it also says that the Bayern manager may face criticism because both referees acknowledged their mistakes after the match.
He might be subject to a touchline ban from a UEFA match at the beginning of the following season if he is found guilty of the charges. He might be in the stands for some of the qualifiers or the group-stage matches if he is named United’s manager and the team makes it to Europe at the end of this season.
United would miss out on Europe as they are currently ranked eighth in the Premier League standings. Nonetheless, they would be eligible to play in Europe in the 2024–2025 season if they placed seventh or higher or won the FA Cup final against Manchester City the following month.
