Thomas Tuchel makes Man United stance clear after 'secret' Sir Jim Ratcliffe meeting

Thomas Tuchel is not planning on taking the Manchester United job if the club decide to sack Erik ten Hag, according to reports on Sunday.

The German has been linked with replacing Ten Hag as United's next manager should Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS make a change this summer. United finished eighth in the Premier League, their lowest ever final position since the division was rebranded in 1992.

Reports before the FA Cup final had suggested that the Dutchman was set to be sacked regardless of the result against Manchester City last month. However, Ten Hag appeared to boost his chances of staying after his United side shocked City to win 2-1 at Wembley.

Two weeks on from the FA Cup success and Ten Hag remains in charge at Old Trafford. It's still unclear whether the former Ajax manager will still be in the dugout come the first game of next season, but Ratcliffe has seemingly already met with Tuchel 'in secret' as they discussed plans for if Ten Hag was to be dismissed, according to multiple reports over the weekend.

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However, it has since been reported that Tuchel is not planning to become the new United boss as he would like to take a break from coaching any club this summer. The 50-year-old left Bayern after their final game of the season against Hoffenheim, having agreed to quit after 14 months in charge.

Tuchel has decided against continuing in talks with United after the allegeed meeting with Ratcliffe. The former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain boss last managed in the Premier League when he was at Chelsea before Todd Boehly sacked him near the start of the 2022/23 season.

Meanwhile, United have not yet communicated a decision on Ten Hag, who offered his opinion on his future after the FA Cup final. Speaking to reporters, he said: "I'm in a project and we are exactly where we want to be. We're constructing a team. When I took over, it was a mess at United.

"We are on our way to construct a team for the future. We'll go with the ups and downs. What you see is the team is developing, the team is winning, at the end of the day it is about winning trophies."