Christopher Vivell is said to be spearheading a pursuit of Julian Nagelsmann in hopes of convincing the coach to join Manchester United.
According to a fresh update from UtdDistrict this morning, the Recruitment Director is ‘pushing hard’ for Nagelsmann to become Ruben Amorim’s permanent successor at Old Trafford.
Why Vivell is so keen on Nagelsmann over other options
Vivell maintains a close relationship with the 38-year-old due to their Red Bull ties; he spent five years with Salzburg as Head of Scouting and Recruitment before joining Leipzig as Technical Director in 2020, whereas Nagelsmann managed Leipzig from 2019 to 2021.
🚨 | UtdDistrict understands that #mufc's head of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, has been pushing hard behind the scenes for Julian Nagelsmann.
Vivell and Nagelsmann are known to be friends from their time together within the Red Bull set-up.
However, those at Old Trafford… pic.twitter.com/HiU50Y381i
— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) April 17, 2026
Having seen first-hand just how much Nagelsmann impressed with Die Roten Bullen, Vivell is now seemingly convinced that he’s the man to take the reins in M16 from the start of next season.
| Club | Games managed | Wins | Draws | Losses |
| Bayern Munich | 84 | 60 | 14 | 10 |
| Leipzig | 95 | 54 | 22 | 19 |
Nagelsmann’s club record, courtesy of Sofascore
However, what will undeniably make talks more difficult is that the Bavarian native’s sole focus from now until the end of the summer is the World Cup with Germany.
They kick off their campaign on June 14 in Houston, and are in Group E along with Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador – so are, on paper, one of the major favourites to advance to the knockouts.
Last January, Nagelsmann extended his tenure with the national team so that it runs until the end of Euro 2028.
As well as Nagelsmann: Who else is in the running for the United managerial vacancy?
Aside from Nagelsmann, United are continuing to be linked with a host of candidates.
Andoni Iraola’s impending departure from Bournemouth has prompted speculation over whether he could be United-bound, especially considering Fabrizio Romano revealed he would be ‘open’ to taking on the role.
Plenty of fans will, however, continue to rally behind Michael Carrick, given how he has reinvigorated the side from the moment he took charge in mid-January and now has them well in contention to secure Champions League qualification.
