Thomas Tuchel could be offered a contract extension at Borussia Dortmund despite the club's underwhelming Bundesliga form, according to chief executive officer Hans-Joachim Watzke.
Dortmund are third in the table, but sit 13 points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich and eight shy of second-placed RB Leipzig.
Defeat to Benfica in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie came amid reports Tuchel's Signal Iduna Park future was under threat, with his deal set to expire next year.
But Watzke insists there remains a very real chance the 43-year-old coach will be offered fresh terms.
"Of course a new contract is an option," Watzke told Bild.
"Let's be honest here, we are not too far away from our pre-season objectives in any of the competitions we take part in.
"It is not like everything has gone wrong for us."
Tuchel replaced Jurgen Klopp in 2015 and guided them to second place in the Bundesliga and a DFB-Pokal final in his first season at the helm.
‘After Manchester City’s recent form, maybe they’re the underdogs against Manchester United!’ Former Red Devils defender on this weekend’s derby
‘Arteta, Alonso, Emery, me… none of us were physical players – we needed the understanding of the game. That probably helped us move into management’: Premier League boss reveals reasons for natural career progression
