Thomas Tuchel reportedly warned Chelsea against signing Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo last summer before his brutal sacking just a month into the season. However, Manchester United seem set to ignore the German by expressing an interest in Brazil attacker Neymar – despite selling Ronaldo over similar concerns to the ones raised by Tuchel.
Chelsea dismissed Tuchel last September due to differences over the direction the club would travel under their new ownership. Wide-ranging reports claimed that the 49-year-old had vetoed transfers for Neymar and Ronaldo.
Tuchel had previously worked with Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain and had reportedly suffered from the power struggle many managers – including soon-to-be Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino – have faced in Paris. There were also concerns over the 31-year-old’s injury record.
The former Chelsea boss also insisted on not signing Ronaldo, despite Todd Boehly apparently being keen to complete a blockbuster transfer for the iconic striker. At the time, Ronaldo was being linked with an exit from Old Trafford over concerns that he did not fit Erik ten Hag’s preferred system.
Tuchel felt that Ronaldo would not fit into his energetic, high-pressing system at Chelsea. According to Football.London, he also questioned Ronaldo’s impact on the squad and wondered if the Portugal captain was beyond the peak of his powers.
Just three months later, Ronaldo was axed by the Red Devils after failing to win a regular place in Ten Hag’s side for similar reasons. The 38-year-old has since struggled in Saudi Arabia, with his Al-Nassr side in poorer form than before his arrival.
However, despite Tuchel being proven correct on Ronaldo, United could ignore the now-Bayern Munich boss’s reservations about Neymar. According to ESPN, Old Trafford chiefs are open to bringing the winger to the Premier League before the 2023-24 season, with his future at PSG the subject of intense speculation.
The relationship between Tuchel and Neymar suffered turbulence, especially in 2019 when the forward tried to engineer a move from the Parisians. A transfer did not materialise and Tuchel later reflected: It’s not so nice when you hear your player talking for weeks and weeks saying he wants to leave.
“As I told Neymar, sometimes it’s like this in life – you have to face the truth and deal with the consequences.”
United may therefore want to heed Tuchel’s advice and decide against signing the PSG star. After all, the former Borussia Dortmund head coach had preempted their issues with Ronaldo.
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