Man Utd decision on Thomas Tuchel swoop leaves club chiefs facing manager gamble

Manchester United have decided against an ambitious swoop for Thomas Tuchel in a move which resigns them to taking a gamble with their next managerial appointment.

The Red Devils had been prepared to capitalise on the chaos at Chelsea following Roman Abramovich's sanctioning to try and prise Tuchel away from Stamford Bridge. The German is highly rated having led the Blues to Champions League glory last year and a strong position in this season's Premier League top-four race.

However, Old Trafford chiefs have decided it would be too tricky to pull off a swoop for Tuchel, 48, and have instead begun interviewing other potential options to take over this summer. Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, 52, was the first to face the questions of United football director John Murtough and technical director Darren Fletcher on Monday.

The discussion with the Dutchman is due to be followed by interviews with Paris Saint-Germain's Mauricio Pochettino, Sevilla's Julen Lopetegui and Spain's Luis Enrique. There is certainly no shortage of quality on the four-man shortlist for the United vacancy, as fans would expect given United's status as a global footballing powerhouse.

However, each of the four candidates has a question mark hanging over them that Tuchel does not. Take, for example, Pochettino, who has long been considered Ten Hag's main rival to replace Ralf Rangnick at the end of the season. While the Argentine, 50, has a host of admirers having led Tottenham to second-placed finishes in the Premier League and Champions League, his time with Paris Saint-Germain has been hugely underwhelming.

The French giants have a runaway lead in Ligue 1 but suffered a heavy defeat by Monaco on Sunday to sum up a season which has seen them dumped