Owen Hargreaves on Jose Mourinho links to Bayern Munich - 'He’s probably learning German as we speak'

Owen Hargreaves joked that Jose Mourinho is "probably learning German" amid speculation the former Roma boss could replace Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich.

Tuchel is reportedly under pressure at Bayern, despite leading the Bavarian giants to the Bundesliga title in his first season in charge.

Having strengthened their side with Harry Kane in the summer, Bayern were tipped to retain their title and be a strong contender in the UEFA Champions League, but their season took a turn for the worse following back-to-back losses to leaders Bayer Leverkusen and Serie A side Lazio.

As a result, Bayern are now five points adrift of the summit in Bundesliga, and must turn around a 1-0 deficit in their last 16 second-leg against Maurizio Sarri's men.

Analysing Thursday night's UEFA Europa League and Europa Conference League games for TNT Sports, Hargreaves was quizzed about where he thinks Mourinho - who was recently dismissed as Roma manager - will end up next.

"I’m sure he’ll be putting his name out for some of the biggest jobs out there. There are some issues at Bayern – he’s probably learning German as we speak!," he joked.

"He'll see himself at the top and I'll be curious to see where he pops up. I think he will get another biggish one, probably not the biggest ones he had in the past, but somewhere similar to Roma."

Meanwhile, Daniele De Rossi - Mourinho's replacement at Roma - continued his bright start to life at the club with a respectable 1-1 draw with Feyenoord in the first leg of the Europa League play-off in the Netherlands.

De Rossi, who made 616 appearances for the club over 18 years, has lost only once since he was appointed interim manager in January - a 4-2 defeat to Serie A leaders Inter. But Rory Smith, a global sports correspondent for the New York Times, told TNT Sports that De Rossi may not be suitable for Roma long term.

"He has made an encouraging start, but it's been a relatively kind fixture list," he said. "They’ve played the bottom three in Serie A – Verona, Salernitana and Cagliari – in his first three games. That’s ideal for a manager.

"They lost to Inter at the weekend but played really well in the first half and Inter are flying this season.

"It’s a difficult situation. I don’t know if Roma necessarily want to give it to De Rossi long term but if he does well… he’s so beloved there. He’s such a popular figure.

"You kind of have to give it to him or else everyone will be very upset."

Asked why De Rossi may not be in line to take the job permanently, Smith continued: "Just experience. I think the Friedkin family who own the club might have a different vision.

"If he doesn’t fit what the club wants, it can be a risk. De Rossi’s managerial career before Roma wasn’t impressive but then if you want a manager that will give his heart and soul for Roma, there’s not many better than De Rossi.

"So, I think it has been a decent start for him, progress in this competition may be the best way to showcase it."

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