Sir Jim Ratcliffe already knows Thomas Tuchel demands as Manchester United warning is clear

Thomas Tuchel has previously said he does not want to become a 'project manager' as he is linked with a shock return to England. It is something that should resonate with Sir Jim Ratcliffe as he carries out a club-wide assessment of Manchester United, including their own head coach Erik ten Hag.

The former Chelsea boss will leave Bayern Munich at the end of this season (with ex-United boss Ralph Ragnick the latest name linked with taking over at the Allianz Arena) and suggestions in Germany claim he has held talks with the Red Devils.

It comes with immense uncertainty around Ten Hag's position. The Dutchman is expected to be under the microscope in the coming weeks as his performance in charge is monitored by Ratcliffe and the new Ineos investment group.

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He will have the chance to see out the season at least before a final decision on his future is made with United still in the hunt for a top-six finish and another trophy despite their consistent state of crisis for much of the campaign.

Attention has turned to possible replacements in some quarters though with a long line of clubs already seeking to make progress towards landing a fresh coach for the new season. Liverpool and Bayern are just two sides currently looking and making progress whilst Barcelona are also in the hunt.

The pool of available managers has continued to grow as well with an expected merry-go-round to follow. Tuchel will be one of the standout names no matter what he chooses to do after his stint in Germany.

Having won the Champions League with Chelsea, reaching a final at Paris Saint-Germain, and being in the final four this year, he is one of the most established head coaches going. Despite league results and man-management issues blotting his copybook in the past two years he remains a top option.

However, the 51-year-old has made his stance on joining a club to simply be part of a long-term very clear. "It's very common to say, 'yes, it's not only about the result but it's also about the process'' he said to the Ayurvedic Healing & Beyond Podcast in 2022, eight weeks after being sacked by Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital at Stamford Bridge.

"My experience in Chelsea, Paris, in Dortmund, and Mainz is the results, I have to tell you. You can overcome one loss, you can overcome a short period of results that are missing if the players feel they are on the right way but it cannot be too long otherwise nobody trusts the process anymore."

For United this will be extremely pertinent. Ten Hag has recently been a man pointing towards performances when results have been poor - not helped by continuing to concede 20+ shots per game - but then changing his tune following the FA Cup semi-final penalty shootout win over Coventry City on Sunday.

"Top football is about results, we made it to a final and we deserved it not only by this game but also the other games," he explained. "We lost control for 20 minutes, we also had bad luck, 3-2, 3-3. We were very lucky in the end, clear. Penalties was very good and we made it to the final.

"It is a huge achievement. Twice, in two years is magnificent. For me as a manager, four cup finals in four years."

Ten Hag was unable to convince many that United have made progress or even matched their targets set by last season's standards though. He has been described previously as a man to not only create a new culture at Old Trafford but also as someone to straddle the line between growing steadily across a period and bringing more instant success.

Tuchel is not a man to be restricted by PR buzzwords from owners pitching a transitional period. He turned Chelsea from mid-table competitors under Frank Lampard in 2020/21 into Champions League winners. His work at Dortmund was just as impressive and despite losing out on Bundesliga this year he remains a master in Europe.

Ratcliffe does not give off the air of a man wishing to entertain this either. His methodical imprint at Nice, Mercedes, and the previous Team Sky cycling team has been in search of success and winning rather than immediate sustainability and growth.

This is something likely to attract Tuchel but also poses a warning for Ratcliffe as he looks to turn around United's fortunes for good.