Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has named England boss Thomas Tuchel as his first-choice candidate to replace the recently sacked Ruben Amorim. The latter was dismissed on Monday, January 5, following a disappointing 14-month tenure as head coach.
While Darren Fletcher was selected as the interim coach after Amorim's sacking, Manchester United are keen on appointing a caretaker manager until the end of the season. Michael Carrick has been reported to be the frontrunner for the role ahead of Fletcher and former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Red Devils intend to appoint a permanent manager over the summer. In recent days, club icons Roy Keane and Gary Neville have named Eddie Howe and Carlo Ancelotti as their preferred choices, respectively. However, Rooney went down a different route, throwing his support behind former Chelsea and PSG boss Thomas Tuchel.
On his BBC Podcast, he stated (via METRO):
"Long-term you hope Thomas Tuchel goes and wins the World Cup with England. He’d be one you’d certainly try and bring in. He’d be the one you’d look at. Whoever goes in now, it is an opportunity. Last time Ole went in as interim and got the job permanently. Whoever goes in now has an opportunity to go and show what they are worth. If not, Thomas Tuchel is the outstanding candidate."
Thomas Tuchel was appointed as England manager last January and has had an excellent start, winning nine out of his 10 games in charge to date. But the German is only contracted with the Three Lions until the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer and is not expected to sign a new deal.
Tuchel could make a positive impact at Manchester United, given his history with Chelsea in the Premier League. He helped the Blues win three trophies in 2021, including the UEFA Champions League.
"Overall very disappointed" - Diogo Dalot makes honest admission after Manchester United crash out of FA Cup
Manchester United wing-back Diogo Dalot has admitted that his side are extremely disappointed because they felt they created enough chances to defeat Brighton & Hove Albion. The Red Devils suffered a 2-1 loss in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday, January 11.
Brajan Gruda and Danny Welbeck were on target for the Seagulls, while Benjamin Sesko netted a late goal for the hosts. Manchester United created more chances as well, landing 19 shots in total, with eight being on target, compared to Brighton's 13 shots, with four being on target.
Dalot told TNT Sports (via BBC):
"We created enough to win the game to be honest. Then the red card gave us a disadvantage because we were on top of Brighton in the last moments. Overall very disappointed because we wanted to go through. All the lads kept trying to find spaces, like I said really disappointed because I think we deserved to win."
Manchester United will next face rivals Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday, January 17.