Hansi Flick will continue as Bayern Munich head coach for the remainder of the season and could get the job on a long-term basis, the Bundesliga champions announced on Sunday.
Placed in charge following Niko Kovac’s exit in November, Flick has overseen eight wins from 10 games in all competitions and is now seen as a “viable option” for the job permanently.
He will have the rest of the club’s Bundesliga and Champions League campaigns to audition for the position after impressing chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.
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Bayern, who parted ways with Kovac after a poor start to their title defence, are four points adrift of leaders RB Leipzig heading into the mid-season break following Saturday’s 2-0 win over Wolfsburg.
Rummenigge said: “We at Bayern are very satisfied with Hansi Flick’s work. Under him as head coach, the on-field development has been outstanding, both in terms of the quality of our play and the results achieved.
“We set a new record in the 29-year history of the Champions League with six wins in six matches in the group stage, and in the Bundesliga we have returned to touching distance of the top of the table.
“I am convinced that Bayern will continue next year where we left off in the last few games, namely playing attractive and successful football.”
The Bavarians have been heavily linked with Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel and Ajax’s Erik ten Hag, while former coach Pep Guardiola remains a popular figure at the Allianz Arena.
But ex-Germany assistant Flick now has the chance to prove he should continue beyond the 2019-20 season.
“I really enjoy working with the team and the coaching team,” he said.
“We have achieved a good starting position for the second half of the season in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League.
“Now we’re recharging our batteries, and we’ll prepare ourselves intensively for the second half of the season at the training camp.
“Then we’ll try to achieve as many victories and titles as possible.”