Rangnick speaks again on Manchester United’s criticism
Ralf Rangnick took over the helm at Manchester United for a few months in 2021/22 after they fired Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He was expected to take up a position as the sporting director after the season but resigned after his coaching stint without pursuing a role in the boardroom.
In his last few weeks before preceding Erik ten Hag in the dugout, Rangnick stated that United’s squad required an ‘open heart operation’ if indeed they were to leave their long-time worries behind him.
Under Ten Hag, United have undergone a significant squad overhaul in the last couple of years and Rangnick was quizzed by the media about his comments from 2022. He said the following to TV2:
“I probably made that statement when the season was almost over about two years ago. It is probably only two or three weeks since Erik ten Hag was asked the same thing. Then he said that I was right in my analysis. I don’t know how many players they have signed since, but it looks like I was right. Before I left for Manchester, I had a long and thorough talk with Solskjaer, two hours in fact. But there is no point in going into detail, it was a long time ago and is not exciting. But I am coach for Austria now and am not close enough to United to assess the status there.”
It is fair to say that the wholesale changes at Manchester United were called for as at least on paper, they look like a more competent team and boast some leading young names with great potential in several departments of the pitch.
However, it is perhaps the coaching department as well as the medical team which needs to undergo an ‘open heart operation’ to really right the wrongs with the Red Devils.
Erik ten Hag seems too oblivious to his tactical mishaps and has not acknowledged his share of the blame for Manchester United’s ongoing problems. He has been accused of favouritism when it comes to making signings and picking players, and in the two years he has been at the club, that approach could not have been far from right.
The players he worked with in the past at Ajax Amsterdam have failed to live up to the hype, while those like Antony and Marcus Rashford have continued to get their chances despite putting in substandard displays week in and week out.
The medical department also deserves criticism for not finding ways to keep players healthy. United’s injury woes have been at an all-time high in the last couple of years and what their two left-backs, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are going through, indicates a clear need for change in another position in the backroom.
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Though a busy transfer window has culminated, the team is struggling to produce results on the pitch and there continue to be a number of squad members on the sidelines as well. It remains to be seen how much longer INEOS is willing to give Ten Hag until the results can start to show, but another ‘open heart operation’ may not be far away.
