Krishnan Sreekumar
Ralf Rangnick provides details on recruitment plans being pursued by Manchester United in the summer
As quoted by the Manchester Evening News, outgoing Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has revealed details about the recruitment plans that the club have in place to implement during the upcoming summer transfer window.
Rangnick took charge of the first team as head coach one last time yesterday when he oversaw the club’s final Premier League game of the season at Selhurst Park. Unfortunately, he was not able to sign off with a win as Crystal Palace beat Man United with a narrow 1-0 scoreline.
Ahead of his exit from the Manchester side, the German said that there will be changes to the squad this summer as several players will depart the club when their contracts run out. He also revealed that unlike January when they decided not to sign any new stars, this summer will see a lot of activity.
“There will be changes [this summer], obviously there will be players who will be leaving because their contracts have expired so there will be space for new players. We also spoke about the last transfer window in January where the board, and we, decided not to sign any players so this is different now.”
Rangnick ended his stint as interim manager by managing to lead the side to sixth place in the Premier League table. After the previous campaign’s runners-up finish, this term sees them fail to secure Champions League football and instead look forward to the Europa League next season.
“In this window there will be some new players”
Erik ten Hag has already been announced as the new permanent manager of the Red Devils, and he will be expected to usher in a new era at the club. A massive summer transfer window awaits the club, with the Dutchman expected to put together a new-look squad.
Rangnick confirmed that his successor will have some influence on what kind of player he wants, expecting the Manchester side to back him in the next two transfer windows. He said that it was obvious to the owners, the board, and the fans that the quality within the squad needs to be increased.
“In this window there will be some new players, he [Ten Hag] will also have some influence on which kind of player he wants and yeah, that will happen in this window and hopefully the next two windows and I think it’s obvious to everybody for the owners, the board and every supporter we need to increase and raise the level of quality within the squad.”
ten Hag has quite the task on his hands from next season onwards, having to get United back to the glory days and compete with the other big teams. The club have not won a trophy since 2017, while rivals like Liverpool and Manchester City keep adding to their collection.
The players in the current squad have been underwhelming this term, barely putting together a consistent run of games. Aside from Cristiano Ronaldo, David de Gea, and Anthony Elanga, there are not a lot of other stars who can hold their head high based on their performances.
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Rangnick only had a short stint as manager, but he was unable to impose his ideas and style of play onto the squad. ten Hag will have it easier, getting an entire pre-season to work with the players as well as getting the chance to decide on who he wants to keep in the first team.
It will be curious to see who the club are able to bring in during the summer, and who the outgoing players will be. Fans will want to see the new-look team play their hearts out for the badge, and commit fully to the new manager’s philosophy. A nervy yet exciting future awaits supporters at Old Trafford.
