Man Utd issue emerges despite German being keen on replacing Solskjaer
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (left) and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola (right) enjoy a laugh on the touchline during the Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester. PA Photo. Picture date: Saturday December 7, 2019. See PA story SOCCER Man City. Photo credit should read: Martin Rickett/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.
Manchester United could reportedly have an issue on their hands if they decide to sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and replace him with German coach Ralf Rangnick.
The calls are growing louder for Solskjaer to be shown the door after United suffered a dismal 2-0 defeat to bitter rivals Manchester City on Saturday. An own goal by Eric Bailly followed by a scruffy close-range finish from Bernardo Silva were enough to do the damage at Old Trafford, with boos ringing around the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ at full-time.
The match gave a perfect indication of the massive gulf in class between the two clubs. To that end, there is growing belief that United will have to change managers to close the gap.
A number of names have been mentioned as successors to the Norwegian. They include the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Brendan Rodgers, while Antonio Conte was also in the running until he moved to Tottenham.
However, one slightly left-field appointment could be that of the experienced Ralf Rangnick. The German is currently head of sports and development at Russian outfit Lokomotiv Moscow.
Rangnick hinted he would be interested in a role at United in a Times interview back in 2019. And according to German publication BILD he remains tempted by the position.
But a report in The Independent has provided a key reason why the deal may be prevented from happening.
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With the state of Man Utd as they are right now, Paul Pogba should not be considering staying past his current contract.
They claim that if the 63-year-old did step in for Solskjaer on a temporary basis, he would then want a behind-the-scenes role once a permanent boss was appointed. And that is not something that United would be able to guarantee.
The report adds that this is due to the fact that any future director role may complicate the appointment of someone like PSG chief Pochettino, who would have no interest in working under anyone and would want complete control in his position.
It leaves United in a difficult situation, particularly with life under Solskjaer proving a challenge.
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Rangnick speaks on Old Trafford woes
Meanwhile, Rangnick also had his say on when he thought things started to go wrong at Old Trafford.
Back in 2019, the German said: “Since Sir Alex [Ferguson] left they were underperforming. They haven’t won the title since he left. At any club, if you cannot get the right players, then you should at least not sign the wrong ones.
“You are in trouble if you do that in one or two or three consecutive transfer windows.
“Club building is about building the right squad by transferring the right players away. And also having more than 50 per cent success rate of bringing in the right players. Then you must have the best possible coaches to develop these players.”
He is not wrong, but whether Rangnick gets a chance to have a part in United’s fortunes going forward remains to be seen.
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