‘He’s different class’ – Erik Ten Hag favourite for Manchester United job, but Red Devils told to target Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel as Ralf Rangnick replacement instead

Thomas Tuchel has been cited as the best candidate to replace Ralf Rangnick and take on the Manchester United job.

Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag is currently the front runner for the position and it is claimed he could be in the job for ‘at least five years’ – but talkSPORT has been told the Chelsea head coach would be the better option.

The Chelsea boss has emerged as a shock candidate for the position amid the continuing uncertainty at Stamford Bridge.

And Breakfast host Darren Bent believes the Blues manager would the best option for the Red Devils.

“Tuchel is in a different bracket to Ten Hag and Pochettino,” Bent said on Tuesday’s talkSPORT Breakfast.

“Tuchel went to Paris Saint-Germain, got them to the Champions League final, won the league… if you ask me, Tuchel is a top class manager.”

Tuchel, however, has made his stance clear when quizzed about the Man United reports as he distanced himself from the role.

Should the impending Chelsea takeover change the German’s loyalty, though, Bent believes United should do everything to bring him to the club.

“If there was an inkling that Manchester United could get Thomas Tuchel, I’d go all out to get him,” Bent explained.

The former Tottenham man did also acknowledge that moving from Stamford Bridge to Old Trafford would be a ‘step down’ for the Champions League winning boss.

He said: “Strictly from a job perspective and where the clubs are right now, Tuchel leaving Chelsea in their current state, you’d have to say that would be a back step going to Manchester United.

“Chelsea are a lot further along the road, they won the Champions League last season, they’re third in the Premier League and they could have won the League Cup against Liverpool, they’re in the FA Cup semi-finals and they’re still in the Champions League this season.

“Right now Chelsea are where Manchester United want to be, so moving there would be a step backwards for Thomas Tuchel.”

Breakfast co-host, Rangers legend Ally McCoist, agreed but suggested Tuchel could still be persuaded purely due to Manchester United’s standing as a club in world football.

“The size of the club makes the job attractive,” said the Scottish football icon. “Manchester United and Real Madrid are the biggest clubs in the world, for me.

“The only reason Tuchel would leave Chelsea would be the incentive of the opportunity to go to Manchester United and maybe build his own team.

“He would have to have unbelievable reassurances to do that, I would think, because they are way off it at this moment in time.

“I think they’re going to have a total rebuild of the squad, because even as poorly as they’re playing I don’t think there’s enough improvement in that squad, even by adding a couple of new players, to make them challenge Liverpool and Man City on a consistent basis.

“I’m looking at Arsenal now and at least they look like they’ve got a structure and a plan in front of them. It’s now time for Manchester United to get that, because they’re in danger of slipping further and further behind, and that would be a disaster for them.”