The reliable sports magazine The Athletic quotes anonymous sources as saying that Manchester United have agreed with German Ralf Rangnick (63) to take over the team on a temporary basis. It has not been officially confirmed by the club.
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Rangnick is currently working in a director role for Lokomotiv Moscow, but according to The Athletic does not expect United to have problems releasing him from that contract. The transition journalist Fabrizio Romano writes that the agreement between Manchester United and Lokomotiv Moscow is not yet in place.
The magazine, in an article by journalists David Ornstein and Laurie Whitwell, writes that it is a six-month contract. Furthermore, according to the magazine, he will continue for another two years in a consulting role.
The Manchester Evening News wrote on Wednesday that Rangnick was the big club’s first choice as interim manager, and the newspaper’s journalist Samuel Luckhurst wrote on Twitter on Thursday that the German was in Manchester earlier this week.
According to Luckhurst, he should not have been satisfied with the first offer, but should have approved new conditions.
– He is a legend in German football, and he has helped create the upswing German football has had in the last twenty years, describes Eivind Bisgaard Sundet, expert on German football and commentator for Viaplay.
He points out that Rangnick has changed football in his home country, among other things by being a champion of zone defense in the late 90s, when men’s marking was common in Germany.
Rangnick often gets the credit for being one of the creators of “counter-pressure football”, a tactic that involves putting pressure immediately after a ball loss.
– The style of play Jürgen Klopp has today, with high pressure, is in many ways Ralf Rangnick football. He was the one who had the original. He is seen as the professor, says Bisgaard Sundet.
The 63-year-old is also known as a club builder, including in Hoffenheim (2006–2011) who went from “nothing” to becoming a big club. He was also the sporting architect of RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg. In 2012 he managed both clubs, later he became manager of RB Leipzig.
– It is a very exciting employment if this becomes something of. You get someone with a clear philosophy both in terms of playing style and club management, Bisgaard Sundet believes.
– He should have all the power. He does not work in a job where he is not allowed to decide everything, he adds.
As a type, Rangnick is described as “extremely uncharismatic”.
– He is not a Jürgen Klopp type, to say the least. He is a professional.
Do you think Ralf Rangnick will be a suitable manager for Manchester United?
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According to The Athletic, the German must have approved an offer to take over the club on a temporary basis.
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Already on Sunday, Chelsea are waiting on the opposite side in a big match at Stamford Bridge. However, that match comes too soon for Rangnick, who according to the Athletic must have his work permit approved before he can take on the job that Ole Gunnar Solskjærs replaces.
Michael Carrick temporarily took over responsibility for Manchester United after Solskjær was fired on Sunday 21 November. He has led the team in one match – the 2-0 victory over Villarreal on Tuesday, which also secured a group victory in the Champions League when Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho scored the goals.
PS! Ralf Rangnick led Schalke 04 in 23 matches in 2011. At that time, they were knocked out in the semi-finals of the Champions League – by Manchester United.
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