Thomas Tuchel would rather return to Chelsea than join Manchester United this summer, according to Glen Johnson.
The German manager, 50, is being strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag fights to save his job.
United have endured a poor season under the Dutchman, slipping to eighth in the Premier League with two games remaining.
The Red Devils are on course for their lowest-ever Premier League finish and may yet miss out on European football next season.
Along with Gareth Southgate and Graham Potter, Tuchel has been identified as a possible replacement for Ten Hag ahead of the German’s departure from Bayern Munich this summer.
Bayern won the Bundesliga under Tuchel last season but suffered a rare trophyless campaign this term, slipping 15 points behind German champions Bayer Leverkusen and losing to Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Tuchel has talked up the Premier League as he continues to be linked with Manchester United but ex-England defender Johnson believes he would rather return to Chelsea than take over at Old Trafford.
During his eventful 20-month spell at Stamford Bridge, Tuchel guided Chelsea to Champions League glory and also lifted the Super Cup and Club World Cup trophies.
‘It’s tough to talk about a manager coming into a job that I would like Mauricio Pochettino to stay in,’ Johnson told Betfred when asked about Tuchel’s future.
‘However, if we’re talking from Thomas Tuchel’s perspective, then he’d definitely pick the Chelsea job over the Manchester United one.
‘Chelsea’s another club that are competing, but they’re not and they’re miles away from it at the moment.
‘With the players they’ve got, they should be doing more and if Tuchel had the option, I believe he would pick Chelsea over Manchester United.’
Current Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino appeared to be on the verge of getting sacked earlier in the season but the Blues have improved towards the back-end of the campaign to brighten the mood at Stamford Bridge.
