Manchester United have identified Thomas Tuchel as a possible replacement for under-fire manager Erik ten Hag, a report has revealed.

Ten Hag is facing immense pressure after overseeing United’s worst start to a season in Premier League history, sitting 14th in the standings with eight points from seven games heading into the October international break.

United officials are expected to meet on Tuesday for a gathering which was planned well before the pressure started to ramp up on Ten Hag, although the boss’ future is likely to be discussed over the coming days.

According to the Manchester Evening News, United have identified Tuchel as a possible replacement for Ten Hag, having first touched base with the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager during the summer.

Informal talks were held with Tuchel last summer during United’s post-season review, before the decision was made to extend Ten Hag’s contract, but the German remains a popular figure behind the scenes at Old Trafford and is immediately available if a decision is made to make a change in the dugout.

Other candidates are also admired but the ability to hire Tuchel without negotiating a buy-out with another club is understood to work in the 51-year-old’s favour.

United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who spoke with Tuchel during the summer, recently refused to confirm whether he still had faith in Ten Hag, but insisted he is not responsible for the final decision on the manager’s future.

Instead, chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth will be given control of the situation. The pair only began work at United during the summer and therefore had no involvement in the decision to keep Ten Hag.

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