Thomas Tuchel has emerged as a top target in Manchester United's search for their next permanent manager, and the German has had plenty to say in the past about the Red Devils' current squad.
The Chelsea manager has insisted he remains committed to the London club, despite the wave of uncertainty which has followed the imposition of sanctions on owner Roman Abramovich. However, with questions remaining over the Blues' future, United have made the former Paris Saint-Germain boss their number one target.
While Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag are thought to remain in the running, Tuchel has jumped to the top of the queue after winning last season's Champions League. He has taken on the Manchester club on a number of occasions for multiple clubs, allowing him to air his views about current squad members on multiple occasions, and Mirror Football has identified a few of the more prominent examples.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Before Ronaldo returned to Manchester United over the summer, Tuchel was quizzed about the Portugal star. Chelsea weren't linked with a move at the time, but Manchester City had been mentioned in connection with the veteran before he began a second Old Trafford stint.
"I don’t think it’s good if he plays for any of our rivals!’ Tuchel said in August. ‘If he ends up in the Premier League, it’s good for the Premier League and shows how competitive and how difficult this league is.
"At the same time it will make life harder for us. I’m hearing it now for the first time so let’s wait and see what happens."
Bruno Fernandes
Tuchel was also full of praise for Fernandes in 2020, singling out the Portuguese international for the speed with which he adapted to life at Old Trafford. The former Sporting CP man joined Man Utd in January of 2020, with Tuchel's PSG taking on the Red Devils in the Champions League group stage a few months later.
"It's impressive because he had a great influence at Manchester United from the first minutes, it's exceptional. He has always improved also in terms of his personality. He has always taken responsibility on the ground," the manager said.
"We will try everything to find solutions against him. He's one of the key players, but he's not the only one."
Marcus Rashford
Rashford was the bane of PSG's existence when they suffered a surprise Champions League elimination against United in 2019. The England international scored the stoppage-time penalty to send the French side packing, but Tuchel was impressed by his all-round performance over the two legs.
"The last two performances from him against us have been annoying," Tuchel said of the forward, adding that "He's a very young adult who takes his responsibilities on and off the pitch very impressively".
“I've met him three times as an opponent and every time I meet a nice, humble and calm person. I like this mixture. He's a big threat with his speed, ability to score and finishing and determination.
"He's very precise and super rapid on the counter attack. He has a big impact and it's nice to see players like him do this from the academy of a big club like United."
Edinson Cavani
Cavani played under Tuchel in Paris before being allowed to leave for Old Trafford in 2020. The Uruguayan scored 23 goals in all competitions during the manager's first season in charge, though his second was disrupted by injury.
Even when the veteran found himself out of favour in the 2019-20 campaign, with Mauro Icardi taking his place up front, Tuchel was full of praise for Cavani's character. "He doesn't deserve that [lack of playing time], he's very professional, in a good state of mind in the locker room, he gives a good energy to the team. But right now, I don't have much playing time to give him," he said.
The former Dortmund boss also spoke highly of Cavani when preparing to face him in 2020. "He showed his quality and his determination in the opponent's area, it's not a surprise," Tuchel said after Cavani came off the bench to score against Southampton shortly before that meeting.
There was more of the same in 2021 when Tuchel, by then at Chelsea, compared Cavani to Olivier Giroud. He described both as "excellent finishers" who "don't get nervous," as well as praising the fitness levels and commitment of both men.
"Look at them when they switch shirts, they are totally fit. Their fitness is key. He has zero body fat, same as Edi," he said.
"Edi is a player like Oli, who as a number nine is always concerned about the team, will suffer for the team, always ready to sacrifice, always ready to do runs to open spaces. This is the characteristic of them both."
Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic
While PSG won their group game at Old Trafford in 2020, helping send United into the Europa League, they were beaten by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side at the Parc des Princes. Tuchel was wary of the threat posed by Fernandes at that time, but he also spoke highly of Pogba and Matic.
"Pogba is still a key player, one of the best midfielders in the world for me," he said. "Pogba, Matic and Fernandes is really strong as far as midfield and they're also dangerous with free-kicks."
Fernandes ended up scoring the opener in Paris, with Rashford scoring a late winner after PSG equalised through an Anthony Martial own goal. Tuchel stressed Fernandes' importance then as well, saying "Fernandes is also key, he's got a lot of assists, is delivering a lot and can deliver to players really deep like Martial and other players, really fast players".
The comments echoed Tuchel's praise for Pogba before United's two-legged clash with PSG in 2019. While the Frenchman didn't score in the 3-3 aggregate draw, he ended the 2018-19 season as United's top scorer.
“I don’t think there’s any surprise about Paul Pogba being a key player,” Tuchel said before the first leg. “He’s an incredible player, wonderful qualities. He can do a lot of things - extremely strong with the ball at his feet, he’s very good and very strong in challenges and one-on-ones.
"Pogba is dangerous in the penalty area as well when the ball comes in from the right and he arrives at the right time, he’s a very good header of the ball. He’s a key player absolutely and he’s now becoming a leader."
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