What Thomas Tuchel did on day of Manchester United meeting might reveal Erik ten Hag truth

On the day Manchester United's executive committee were meeting in London, with the future of manager Erik ten Hag on the agenda, Thomas Tuchel was signing a contract to become the new England head coach.

Tuchel was one of the favourites to take over from Ten Hag last week, with the Dutchman's position the subject of fierce scrutiny during a scheduled meeting at Ineos' Knightsbridge offices.

Ten Hag has survived the international break despite a run of five games without a win and just three victories in 11 games this season, and he might feel his position is a little more secure now that Tuchel is back in employment.

The German discussed the United job with Sir Jim Ratcliffe this summer while an end-of-season review debated Ten Hag's future. With speculation again rife that United's current boss is nearing the end, Tuchel was back in the frame.

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The former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich boss was the most high-profile candidate immediately available to replace Ten Hag. However, there is a feeling that the club would be reluctant to pay for a manager, with Ten Hag due compensation in the region of £15m after the one-year option was taken in his contract in July.

Tuchel is now off the market, with his appointment as England's head coach officially confirmed on Wednesday morning. In the press release detailing Tuchel's arrival, the Football Association confirmed his contract had actually been signed early last week.

"The decision to recruit Tuchel and [assistant manager Anthony] Barry was approved by the FA Board early last week, with Tuchel