Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes the club should have moved for Thomas Tuchel while they had the chance.
The German was out of work after leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season and was frequently linked with a move to Old Trafford, having expressed a desire to return to English football.
However, former Chelsea boss Tuchel was instead appointed as England manager on an 18-month contract ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
United are now set to move for Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim after the sacking of Erik ten Hag following Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to West Ham.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has been placed in interim charge of the first-team but Sporting have confirmed the Manchester giants have made an official approach for their highl rated manager.
Sporting have revealed United’s interest in paying the £8.3m release clause in Amorim’s contract, though the 39-year-old insisted his future is yet to have been decided when speaking to the media after his side’s 3-1 win over Nacional at home in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese League Cup on Tuesday night.
While undoubtedly an exciting coach, Scholes believes Tuchel should have been installed earlier this summer, rather than keeping Ten Hag in the job for another few months after a miserable season last time out, saved only by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
“I think Thomas Tuchel was the right one to coach Manchester United, but obviously he’s gone now with England,” he told The Overlap .
“He’s someone that can manage an elite football club and win big games. He’s been there and done it. “
Scholes did, however, talk up Amorim’s potential appointment as an exciting move for his former club, albeit one laced with risk.
“I agree on Ruben Amorim – it [the hype] feels a bit like Erik ten Hag [when he joined Manchester United], he’s coming from the Portuguese league which is a bit better than the Dutch league. What he’s done there has been good – he looks charismatic, and that he has a bit about him.
“I know he’s meant to sign in the coming days and hours, but Sporting play Manchester City next week, and Arsenal in the next three or four weeks – it might be a chance to give him a public interview, and see how he handles the media, see how his team plays.
“In England, we don’t watch a lot of Portuguese football, so we don’t know too much. We see them a bit in European football, and all the things we hear about him are good – exciting football, three at the back and possession based – something United don’t really do. If he comes in to do that, it could be exciting.”
Paul Scholes was speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet
