We 'appointed' Thomas Tuchel as Man United manager next season and results improved

11.03.2022 - 11:49 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Thomas Tuchel has emerged as a possible manager candidate for Manchester United, following the UK government's sanctions against Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich casting doubt over the German's future at Chelsea.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has claimed, via the Telegraph, that United should try to bring Tuchel to Old Trafford following the news that Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK government in response to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Tuchel's future as Chelsea boss is now the subject of wide speculation, as United continue their hunt for their next permanent manager.

United are hoping to have a new manager in place by the end of the 2021/22 season, with Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag currently the leading candidates. Tuchel — who led Chelsea to the Champions League trophy last season — could potentially be available in the summer to throw a spanner in the Old Trafford works.

Read more: Roman Abramovich blocked from selling Chelsea FC as Government sanctions leave club in limbo

So, if Tuchel were to leave Chelsea and be appointed as United boss ahead of next season, what would the outcome be? To have a look, we simulated the entirety of the 2022/23 season in Football Manager 2022 with the German in charge of United.

To set up this simulation, we arranged for Tuchel to replace Ralf Rangnick as United manager on FM22 at the end of the 2021/22 season until the end of the 2022/23 season to see how the German manager performed. Rangnick was appointed as United's Director of Football as he entered his consultancy role at the club, following the arrival of Tuchel as manager.

This is Tuchel's in-game profile on Football Manager 2022.

Tuchel's key attributes are his tactical coaching (18), judging