How Man Utd's interest in Thomas Tuchel spells trouble for 'angry' Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui

Tuchel, a seasoned manager with experience at top clubs such as Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich, was considered for the role at Old Trafford in the summer. However, the club ultimately chose to retain the services of the Dutchman.

United have endured a miserable start to the season with woeful performances against Tottenham and Porto last week piling pressure on Ten Hag. While a goalless draw against Aston Villa on Sunday could provide a stay of execution, United are considering alternative options.

Tuchel has again emerged as the leading candidate to replace Ten Hag. The German is currently a free agent after leaving Bayern at the end of the 2023-24 season – a decision that was made by the club in February. His spell in Munich lasted just 15 months.

Two of United’s major summer signings arrived from Bayern in August in Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui. Their time under Tuchel at the Allianz Arena wasn’t always smooth sailing.

De Ligt started the 2023-24 season as third choice behind Kim min-Jae and Dayot Upamecano, not starting a game until late September.

‘What can I say about that? I haven’t played that much in the last four games, that’s terrible and of course not that nice. Of course I always want to play,’ de Ligt said in frustration.

A report from Munich-based outlet TZ suggested the reasons behind Tuchel’s reluctance to play de Ligt, the second most expensive defender in the club’s history, stemmed from his ability on the ball.

The report suggested Tuchel preferred ball-playing centre-halves capable of bringing play out from the back, areas Upamecano and Kiim excel in compared to de Ligt, whose strengths are perhaps on the more traditional side of defending. Tuchel reportedly took issue with de Ligt’s penchant for side-ways passing having tasked his team with playing through the lines vertically and with speed.

With Kim on Asian Cup duty at the start of the year, chances opened up once again for de Ligt with the Netherlands international starting six of the first seven Bundesliga matches of 2024.

He was benched during that run for the crucial game against Bayer Leverkusen – with the 3-0 win for Xabi Alonso’s side a huge step in their march towards the Bundesliga title. Eric Dier, a January signing from Tottenham, joined Upamecano and Kim in the starting XI that day ahead of de Ligt.

Bild reported the decision left de Ligt ‘angry’, telling reporters he was not carrying an injury. The publication also claimed de Ligt was under the impression he had constantly ‘been dealt a bad hand’ by the former Chelsea manager with the ‘bitter decision’ confirming to him Tuchel was not a fan of his.

After that defeat, the German coach explained de Ligt was not the right man for his plans to press the opposition high up the pitch, urging the  former Ajax starlet to ‘fight for his spot’.

‘At Bayern, we’ll always think about who fits better against a certain opponent. Against Leverkusen, we wanted to press extremely high up the pitch so in the end we decided for Kim, Upamecano with Eric Dier in the centre,’ Tuchel said.

‘At Bayern, you simply fight for your spot. It’s a very normal situation. Unfortunately, what should be normal is not normal at Bayern. We have four players for two spots. It’s true Matthijs has been behind lately, but he’s definitely not behind in our appreciation.’

Mazraoui has been one of the few success stories at United during the early stages of the season, virtually ever-present at right-back before being forced off at half-time against Aston Villa on Sunday.

The Morocco international was limited to just 24 starts in all competitions under Tuchel last season during a campaign where he also struggled with injury. Konrad Laimer was largely preferred at right-back.

‘We don’t need to talk about his technical skills and his understanding of the game – that’s great,’ Tuchel said of Mazraoui last September. ‘But he has to develop some grit and push himself to the physical limit. Nous has to fight, fight, fight.’

Tuchel did turn to the former Ajax full-back for Bayern’s Champions League second-leg showdown against Arsenal in April. That decision was vindicated as Mazraoui turned in a fine performance, shackling Bukayo Saka before being replaced late on as Bayern reached the final four of the competition. He also played the full 90 minutes in both semi-final ties against Real Madrid.

Ten Hag’s presence at Old Trafford was an integral factor in De Ligt and Mazraoui joining United, with the centre-half noting his countryman is a coach ‘who knows how to get the best out of me’.

But United’s fresh interest in Tuchel raises the question; would the duo have arrived in Manchester had the German been given the job last summer?