Manchester United have finally announced the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager until the end of the season.
The German’s arrival is subject to work visa requirements, with Michael Carrick remaining in charge of the Red Devils until the red tape is sorted out. Rangnick could, however, be in the dugout as soon as Thursday when Arsenal visit the north west.
Rangnick will continue to work at Old Trafford in a consultancy role for a further two years beyond the end of 2021/22.
The 63-year-old’s managerial experience dates back almost 40 years and includes spells at Leipzig, Stuttgart, Schalke and Hoffenheim.
More recently he has been working as director of football for the two Red Bull clubs of Salzburg and Leipzig, with his last post being ‘manager of sports and development’ for Lokomotiv Moscow.
An early proponent of ‘gegenpressing’ and nicknamed ‘The Professor’ for his studious approach, Rangnick has been cited as an influence by the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel.
He has also generally favoured a 4-4-2/4-2-2-2 in his coaching career, although has dabbled with a wing-back system on occasion.
“Our idea is clear: it’s very, very similar to my almost-coaching friend Jurgen Klopp. Our football is very heavy metal, rock and roll and it’s not slow balls. It’s not square passes, back passes. Just having the ball ourselves doesn’t make sense.” – Ralf Rangnick, speaking to The Coaches’ Voice in September
Interest in United’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) assets will have been piqued by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal and now Rangnick’s appointment, with a juicy-looking run of fixtures starting in Gameweek 15/16 (depending on your view of Crystal Palace’s backline):
It’ll be a steep learning curve for many United players – the adaptability of Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.4m), fresh from a benching in Gameweek 13, being one concern – if their new boss is to implement his ideas about pressing, although Jadon Sancho (£8.9m) would seem a good fit based on his previous experience of playing in a high-tempo Borussia Dortmund side.
We’ll have a more detailed Scout Report to come on Rangnick after the Gameweek 14 deadline has passed on Tuesday.
