Ralf Rangnick admits new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will struggle to convince players to join if rivals show interest

As quoted by the Daily Mail, Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has warned incoming new boss Erik ten Hag that he may struggle to convince players to join the club if their rivals also take an interest in them.

ten Hag will take over the English side once Rangnick’s tenure as interim head coach expires in the summer. Until then, the Dutchman will be focused on helping his current club Ajax Amsterdam win their third consecutive title.

Rangnick had a warning message for his successor, saying that they need to be realistic about new recruits picking Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City over United. He was of the opinion that despite having the best supporters, stadium, and quality of training ground, you would need to convince new signings to pick them over their rivals by providing some good reasons.

“As a club, with regards to supporters, stadium, quality of training ground, I would say yes. But we also have to be realistic. As soon as other clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are involved, then you need some good reasons and somebody needs to explain to the players.”

In the recent past, the Red Devils have fallen off the path and watched their rivals win multiple trophies and build strong squads. Meanwhile, the Old Trafford outfit are currently enduring a five-year trophy drought, with their last title coming in 2017 when they won the UEFA Europa League.

“I am positive”

In comparison, their noisy neighbours in Manchester are the defending champions of the Premier League. Meanwhile, Liverpool are chasing the quadruple this season while Chelsea have already secured the FIFA Club World Cup earlier in the campaign.

Despite these shortcomings, Rangnick said that he is positive about United rebuilding in the summer with ten Hag as he was one of the best coaches in Europe. The German also insisted that together with the incumbent Ajax manager’s training methods and the recruitment plan at the Theatre of Dreams, things could turn around for the better.

“I am positive. Again, I have to say with Erik ten Hag Manchester United will have one of the best coaches that are available, probably one of the best coaches we have in Europe. Then it is about together with him, recruitment together with the way the team is being trained and coached, are the two most vital things.”

Rangnick has been rather unsuccessful as a head coach at United, seeing his team get knocked out of the Champions League and FA Cup since he took over late last year. Although he was tasked with guiding the club to a top-four finish by the summer, the Red Devils are stuck in sixth place in the Premier League table.

It seemingly looks like the Manchester side could miss out on playing UCL football next season, which could hamper their ability to attract new players in the upcoming summer transfer window. However, as Rangnick said, perhaps they could use ten Hag as a good reason to convince these new signings to pick them over others.

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The Dutchman’s CV from his time in Holland is impressive, having won back-to-back Eredivisie titles as well as multiple cup competitions. In 2019, he earned plaudits for leading a young Ajax team to the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they eventually fell to Tottenham Hotspur.

With ten Hag leading the side from next term and Rangnick acting in a consultancy role at the club, a new era is expected to be ushered in at the Theatre of Dreams next term. Hopefully, they are able to get their recruitment strategy perfect as well, in order to get the best players to join United as part of a massive rebuild.