The German coach is highly-respected.
Ralf Rangnick is interested in taking over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and working as Manchester United’s interim manager for the rest of the season, according to reports.
Solskjaer is under intense pressure at Old Trafford following another humiliating defeat to a rival club. Two weeks ago, the Red Devils lost 5-0 to Liverpool. On Saturday, in their first game at home since that loss, Manchester City beat Solskjaer’s side 2-0. The scoreline didn’t accurately reflect the gulf in class between the two teams.
Solskjaer’s job, once again, appears to be on the line. Yet, unlike after the Liverpool loss, there is no obvious replacement for the Norwegian at this stage of the season after Tottenham Hotspur appointed Antonio Conte. But German coach Rangnick may offer a temporary solution.
Ralf Rangnick interested in becoming interim Man United manager.
According to Miguel Delaney, writing in The Independent, Rangnick would be interesting in taking over from Solskjaer mid-season, and the idea has been floated amongst some Man United executives.
The former RB Leipzig coach, who is currently working as head of sports and development at Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow, would want to take up a director of football role at Old Trafford after his stint in the dugout.
This could complicate any move for the 63-year-old as Man United’s next permanent coach may not want to work with a sporting director. According to The Independent, however, Rangnick already has a “relationship with the Old Trafford hierarchy.”
The German coach is highly-respected, one of the key figures in German football’s development of Gegenpressing. Rangnick’s coaching has influenced Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann.
“Ralf moulded my style of play in the 1990s. He is a perfect fit for England,” Liverpool manager Klopp said.
Rangnick reportedly interested in becoming Man United caretaker coach.
Rangnick spoke about the situation at Man United in 2019 when he was head of sport and development soccer at Red Bull.
“Since Sir Alex [Ferguson] left they were underperforming,” he told The Times.
“They haven’t won the title since he left. At any club, if you cannot get the right players, then you should at least not sign the wrong ones.
“You are in trouble if you do that in one or two or three consecutive transfer windows.
“Club building is about building the right squad by transferring the right players away and having more than 50 per cent success rate of bringing in the right players. Then you must have the best possible coaches to develop these players.
“There is a lot of space for a vision for United, but I am very happy where I am.”
What will Man United do now?
The is no obvious solution to Man United’s troubles, but it has become abundantly clear that Solskjaer and his current coaching staff are not the answer.
According to The Independent, “The view from those close to the squad is that United are a team so bereft of basic coaching and structure that anyone offering such management at all would have an immediate impact.”
