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Tag: Ralf Rangnick

  • Rashford speaks on leaving Manchester United this summer

    Three lions of England and Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has taken a final decision on his future with the club after speaking with former teammate, Daley Blind about new manager, Erik ten Hag.

    Blind was able to convince the forward to stay at Old Trafford.

    Recall that Rashford  suffered a disastrous loss of form last season, scoring just five times in 37 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils.

    The 24-year-old was said to have concluded plans to dump Old Trafford had interim boss, Ralf Rangnick remained in charge.

    And even with Rangnick’s departure, the England international was still unsure over his future at Old Trafford.

    Rashford is now excited about the prospect of working with Ten Hag after speaking with Ajax star, Blind.

    Blind is said to have told Rashford about Ten Hag’s hands-on nature and the forward was excited.

    The Englishman wants to tie down a fixed position and his preference is to play on the left of a front three.

  • Manchester United fans stage peaceful protest against Glazer family, players

    Manchester United fans stage peaceful protest against Glazer family, players

    A group of Manchester United fans have staged a peaceful protest against the Glazer family, who own the club, as they unfurled banners against both the club’s ownership and the players.

     

    The protest, which took place at the AON Carrington Training Complex on Friday morning, stopped the team from training until after 2.00pm.

     

    A group of around 30 fans – dressed all in black and with their faces covered – turned up and unfurled banners against both the club’s ownership and the players with messages stating “Not fit to wear the shirt” and “Glazers out”.

     

    The protest was largely peaceful, although fans did express their frustration towards a few of the players as they tried to make their way into the complex, including second choice goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

     

    None of them made into the training ground and they were eventually dispersed by the arrival of the police.

     

    The fans were part of the 1958 Group, who plan to protest at tomorrow’s home game with bottom of the table Norwich City by arriving 17 minutes late to mark the 17 years the club has been under the Glazers’ ownership.

     

    When asked about it in his press conference, interim manager, Ralf Rangnick, had sympathy for how the supporters are feeling, but urged them to get behind the team once they get into the stadium.

     

    “We all know football is a game of passions and emotions,” said the German. “I can understand our supporters are disappointed with our standing in the table and our performance at Everton, at least after we conceded the first goal.

     

    “But I still believe our supporters are the best in England and as long as they do that protest in a peaceful way and support the team in the stadium, they have a right to express their opinion.”

     

    This protest comes almost a year to the day since United fans stormed the training ground in response to the proposed European Super League, when then manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came outside to meet them and listen to their frustrations.

     

    But this latest episode is the perfect example of the growing anger and disillusionment at how United are performing on and off the pitch, compared with rivals Liverpool and Manchester City.

     

    “There was a small and peaceful protest outside the Carrington training ground today,” said a United spokesperson. “We respect the opinions of fans and remain committed to strengthening our engagement with them.”

    Meanwhile, Nemanja Matic has announced he will leave Manchester United this summer despite having one season left on his contract at Old Trafford.

     

    The Serbia midfielder, 33, informed the club he will not be part of their new era when Erik ten Hag is expected to take charge following Rangnick’s spell as interim manager.

     

    Matic is set to be the first of the departures at United this summer with Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani out of contract and leaving unless new deals are brokered.

     

    It will bring an end to five years at United for Matic, where he did not win a trophy but reached the final of the Europa League and FA Cup. He arrived for £40 million in 2017 in the same summer United snatched Romelu Lukaku from under Chelsea’s noses, which played a role in the clubs negotiating a fee.

     

    “After a great deal of thought, I have decided that this season will be my last with Manchester United,” said a statement by Matic. “I have informed the board, the manager and the players of my decision.

     

    “It has been a huge honour and a privilege to play for this great club. A big thank you to the fans for their unwavering support. I will now give everything until the end of the season to help my team-mates finish as strongly as possible.”

    Another protest is expected at Old Trafford on Saturday before United’s Premier League match against Norwich.

     

    United have won only three of their past 12 matches in all competitions – losing 1-0 at Everton last Saturday – and are guaranteed to fall short of last season’s final tally of 74 points.

  • Man Utd will have another manager next season – Neville

    Man Utd will have another manager next season – Neville

    Former Manchester United captain, Gary Neville has said Ralf Rangnick will not be appointed permanent manager of the club at the end of the season.

    The German replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on an interim basis in December.

    However, Rangnick has an agreement with United to move into a consultancy role after his six-month contract expires.

    Having overseen a rough path, which still sees the Red Devils in the Premier League top four, there have been calls for him to be given the role.

    But Neville insists a new manager will be in place ahead of the 2022/2023 season.

    He told Sky Sports: “I don’t think he gets the job at the end of the season, come what may, now. I think maybe there was a feeling at the beginning that it could happen; that isn’t going to happen. Manchester United will have a new manager next season.

    “I think he will have a say in who gets the job because what he has got is a real good view of the characters, personalities, performance levels and training levels of the current group of players so he is in a strong position to advise.

    “He is probably in the strongest position to advise because he is having day-to-day contact with them. He is seeing how they cope with disappointment, how they cope with atmospheres, how they cope with big games, how they cope with training; can they meet the demands of the club? Have they got the quality?”

  • Why Manchester United will sack Rangnick – Merson

    Why Manchester United will sack Rangnick – Merson

    Manchester United interim manager, Ralf Rangnick, would be sacked if the club does not finish in the Premier League top-four position this season.

    This was disclosed by Arsenal legend, Paul Merson.

    It would be recalled that Rangnick came under fire in recent weeks, with Man United putting in a number of underwhelming performances – including an FA Cup defeat at Old Trafford to Middlesbrough.

    One-hundred percent Rangnick won’t be in charge of Man Utd next season

    The German also watched as his team failed to beat Southampton in a Premier League tie on Saturday after playing a 1-1 draw.

    The result against Southampton means Man United is now in the 5th position on the Premier League table with 40 points from 24 matches.

    Merson said: “One-hundred percent Rangnick won’t be in charge of Man Utd next season. I have got as much chance of being in charge. I just don’t see it.

    “I read something that said they have improved. I don’t see that. I don’t see happiness there. I hear so much coming out of Man Utd, at the moment, which is just extraordinary. It never happened before and that is my worry.

    “I don’t see him being there and the way it’s going at the moment, if they don’t get in the top four, I would be shocked if he went upstairs. I know that was part of the deal, but I don’t think it is a good thing. I think this needs to be nipped in the bud sooner rather than later at Manchester United.

    “I would have had someone in as soon as possible. You pay £70m to £80m for football players and some of them don’t even play. Why would you not break the bank for managers if you need to get a manager out of a club? In my opinion, they are very important.”

  • COVID-19 hampering Man Utd progress under me – Rangnick

    COVID-19 hampering Man Utd progress under me – Rangnick

    Ralf Rangnick said Wednesday that the upheaval caused by the coronavirus crisis had hindered his efforts to stamp his authority on the under-performing Manchester United squad.

    United are unbeaten in all four games they have played under the German, who replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on an interim basis late last month.

    But a Covid-19 outbreak at the club meant United had not played a match for more than two weeks before Monday’s disappointing 1-1 Premier League draw at struggling Newcastle.

    United, who host Burnley on Thursday, are seventh in the Premier League table, seven points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, but with two games in hand.

    Asked if he had achieved as much as he had wanted in his first weeks in charge, Rangnick said: “Of course not.

    “Every coach, every ambitious coach — and there’s no difference between other coaches and myself in that area — wants to take faster steps and larger steps forward.

    “But in order to do that, you need to be able to train.

    “As you know, we had to close Carrington (training base) for four days. Before that we had eight or nine outfield players in training, so directly after the Norwich game, and they only came back in small bits and pieces.

    “The last three days we were almost back to full strength with regard to the size of the squad, but we couldn’t do that much in training.”

    Rangnick said his players had looked good in the few training sessions they had managed before the Newcastle game, which made Monday’s performance a “negative surprise”.

    French international Raphael Varane made his first appearance since November 2 at St James’ Park in a central defensive partnership with Harry Maguire, which was far from convincing.

    However, Rangnick defended the former Real Madrid man.

    “Rafa hasn’t played for the last five or six weeks and even before the Tottenham game he was injured so in total in the last three months he hasn’t played that many games,” he said.

    “Yes, he made a mistake before the first goal that we conceded, but apart from that, I think he was OK. I wouldn’t say that he was outstanding and the same with Harry, but they did OK.”

    Defender Victor Lindelof, who missed the trip to Newcastle after testing positive for coronavirus, will still be absent for the Burnley match, while Paul Pogba remains out with a thigh problem.

    Bruno Fernandes will be unavailable due to a one-match suspension, after collecting his fifth yellow card of the Premier League season.

  • Official: Man Utd announce Ralf Rangnick as new manager

    Official: Man Utd announce Ralf Rangnick as new manager

    Manchester United have announced the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager until the end of the season, subject to work visa requirements.

    Following this period, Rangnick and the club have agreed that he will continue in a consultancy role for a further two years.

    John Murtough, Manchester United football director, said: “Ralf is one of the most respected coaches and innovators in European football. He was our number one candidate for interim manager, reflecting the invaluable leadership and technical skills he will bring from almost four decades of experience in management and coaching.

    “Everyone at the club is looking forward to working with him during the season ahead, and then for a further two years in his advisory role.”

    Rangnick said: “I am excited to be joining Manchester United and focused on making this a successful season for the club.

    “The squad is full of talent and has a great balance of youth and experience. All my efforts for the next six months will be on helping these players fulfil their potential, both individually and, most importantly, as a team.

    “Beyond that, I look forward to supporting the club’s longer-term goals on a consultancy basis.”

    Michael Carrick will remain in charge of the first team until Rangnick’s work visa is finalised.

  • Rangnick expected to leave staff at Loko to take Man Utd job

    Rangnick expected to leave staff at Loko to take Man Utd job

    Nikolay Naumov expects Ralf Rangnick to leave Lokomotiv Moscow on his own.

    Rangnick is set to leave his technical director’s position at Loko to become caretaker manager of Manchester United.

    Former Loko chief Naumov said: “If Rangnik leaves, he will leave his people at Lokomotiv.

    “A whole team came with him. He won’t just leave the club, because Ralf has started a huge project here. He will be able to lead his team from there, and they will work. I do not think that Rangnik and his partners will leave Lokomotiv.

    “They usually don’t leave that quickly. First, they have to earn at least something, and then leave. Rangnick’s system can easily work without him, because there are his associates in it.”