Ralf Rangnick has continued to criticise former employers Manchester United, three years after he left the Red Devils following a disappointing six-month spell as interim manager
Ralf Rangnick has diagnosed former club Manchester United with a ‘leadership problem’ which has blighted them for the 12 years post-Sir Alex Ferguson. Rangnick, who’s now in charge of the Austrian national team, spent six months as manager at Old Trafford in the 2021-22 season, arguably their most underwhelming Premier League campaign to date.
With Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line, Paul Pogba in midfield and Raphael Varane at the back, big things were expected after a second-place finish the previous term. But neither Rangnick or his predecessor, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, were able to find a winning formula, as the Red Devils slumped to sixth.
The plan was for Rangnick, 66, to become a consultant following the end of his six-month spell as interim boss. But when Erik ten Hag was appointed in April 2022, United abruptly cut ties with the acclaimed German coach, who’s renowned as one of the great minds of the modern game.
Rangnick had been openly critical of the regime at Old Trafford, infamously insisting that the squad needed ‘open heart surgery’ during one of his many sobering press conferences. In the three years since his departure, the former Schalke, Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig manager – nicknamed the ‘Godfather of the Gegenpress’ – has continued to point of United’s flaws.
Despite the club’s hierarchy undergoing a seismic change over the last 18 months, prompted by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s partial takeover, Rangnick still believes that the Red Devils lack a proper leadership structure. It’s an issue which he believes stems from the moment Ferguson retired after 26 highly successful years.
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“I think we have to go back to 2013, when Sir Alex left the club,” Rangnick told Spanish outlet Sport. “And at the time he was still there, he was the mastermind behind it all. He probably also brought a lot of important people to the club.
“And the moment he left, some of those people probably left the club as well. And, since then, I think they have a leadership problem. Who’s really making the decisions and why are they making them? Are they really the best people for the job? I can only tell you that the six months I was there, it was difficult to say, even for me as head coach.
“Who were the decision makers? Who? Who could I talk to? If we wanted to sign new players, it was difficult. There were people, but in the end, it was difficult.”
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So, what advice would Rangnick give United’s current regime led by new CEO Omar Berrada, sporting director Jason Wilcox and Ratcliffe’s INEOS bigwigs? “If I were the owner or sporting director of a club, I would only try to sign and invest in young players. Because no matter how you look at it, it only makes sense,” the Austria boss explained.
“Does it make sense to spend 30, 40, 50 million on a 28 or 30-year-old signing? Not really. Let’s calculate it: You sign a 28 or 30-year-old with a five-year contract; you spend 50 million more on the transfer fee; an average of 15 million euros per year multiplied by five.
“That’s 65 million plus the 50 million transfer fee, equals 115 million plus the agents’ fees. The whole operation costs you around 130 million.”
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