Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Edinson Cavani left irate after tumultuous turn of Man Utd events, as source says Rangnick had ‘no idea’

Edinson Cavani, Crystal Palace v Man Utd May 2022

Details of how Manchester United suffered one of their worst seasons in recent memory have emerged, with Edinson Cavani and Ralf Rangnick featuring heavily.

United came into the campaign off the back of a second-placed Premier League finish and full of optimism. What’s more, while they lost the Europa League final, they broke their streak of four semi-final defeats.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to and instant impact at Old Trafford added to the early-season feeling. However, things quickly unravelled and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lost his job as manager in November.

Interim boss Rangnick failed to inspire a turnaround and Man Utd finished sixth in the Premier League.

ESPN has now revealed how Uruguay striker Cavani’s frustrations played into the downturn at Old Trafford.

Solskjaer spread ‘disbelief’ by allowing Cavani to spend two weeks on holiday and delay his start to the season.

The 35-year-old reportedly wanted time with his family after suffering a difficult lockdown in the 2020/21 season.

Cavani’s loyalty to Solskjaer dissipated, though, when United ordered him to give his No. 7 shirt to Ronaldo.

And the striker’s frustrations reached boiling point when the club rejected an offer from Barcelona at the end of last summer’s transfer window. They instead told him to fight for his place.

A source told ESPN that Cavani felt “p***** off” at United for their transfer decision as he “knew he wasn’t going to play with Ronaldo”.

Cavani, Rangnick feature in Man Utd turmoil

A source also told the outlet that “it’s fair to say” that Rangnick had “no idea what to expect” when signing up for the Man Utd job.

The 63-year-old German enjoyed managerial success in his home country. He also made his name as a sporting director overseeing operations at RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg.

However, Rangnick reportedly ‘set alarm bells ringing’ with his response when warned of the scrutiny he would be in for if he moved to Old Trafford.

“Ralf just smiled and said, ‘Don’t worry, I moved to a big club before when I left Hoffenheim for Schalke so I know what to expect,'” the source said.

Man Utd need to rectify mistakes

Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Edinson Cavani Burnley v Man Utd February 2022

It is these sorts of mistakes, as well as many others, that have led to the ill feeling around Man Utd this season.

The lack of morale on the pitch has been clear to see. In fact, a 9-0 aggregate defeat to Liverpool barely scratches the surface, which says it all.

There needs to be a major cultural reset at Old Trafford and new manager Erik ten Hag needs time to stamp his mark on the club.

Out of contract Man United stars not talking to Rangnick

Out of contract Man United stars not talking to Rangnick

Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Edison Cavani and other out of contract players are not talking to Ralf Rangnick and Manchester United bosses about futures

Ten Hag outlined his exciting ambition for his new team in his first press conference as manager on Monday.

However, there are a lot of internal fixes needed before he can properly take United forward.