Only a few months after the German had private discussions with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United is about to make the bold decision to choose Thomas Tuchel as their new manager.
When it looked like Erik ten Hag would be going, Tuchel was a top target for the Red Devils during the summer, but Ratcliffe and his group ultimately chose to stay with the Dutchman.
But after United had the worst start to a Premier League season ever, The Manchester Evening News reports that Ten Hag's status is now again in doubt and Tuchel is being considered as a possible successor.
The club is admiring other alternatives, but Tuchel is an attractive option given his current availability. He left Bayern Munich at the end of the previous season, despite the club's last-ditch efforts to retain him.
If United decides to break up with Ten Hag, it's unclear who else could be taken into consideration; nevertheless, it is known that Tuchel and the team were in communication as recently as this past summer. It's thought that Tuchel discussed his goals for the team during these conversations, including how to reinvigorate players like Mason Mount and Jadon Sancho.
But no deal was struck; according to Bild, Tuchel decided not to pursue more negotiations because of differences regarding the club's transfer philosophy.
On Sunday, Ratcliffe was there at Aston Villa for a depressing 0-0 draw with key officials including CEO Omar Berrada and recently hired sporting director Dan Ashworth. United is now uncomfortably positioned at 14th in the Premier League table after the stalemate, giving them just two wins from their opening seven league games.
Last Friday, when the BBC questioned Ratcliffe about his degree of trust in Ten Hag, he sidestepped the topic by saying, "I don't want to address that question, Erik is a nice person. Although I believe him to be an excellent coach, the management group that oversees Manchester United ultimately has to decide how to best manage the team in a variety of ways.
"However, the Manchester United management group has only been together since June or July. In January, February, March, and April, they were absent. Only in July did [CEO] Omar [Berrada] and [Sporting Director] Dan Ashworth come.
"They haven't been there for very long, you could count the weeks they've been there, so they should reflect and make some wise choices. Our goal is very clear: we want to return Manchester United to its rightful place, which is plainly not where it is now."
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