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Man Utd board’s U-turn on Ralf Rangnick appointment as Michael Carrick details surface
Manchester United are set to name Ralf Rangnick as their interim manager.
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Manchester United were originally planning to give Michael Carrick the reins for their next six matches before reaching an agreement with Ralf Rangnick, reports say. The Red Devils sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last weekend. And they’re now looking ahead to another new era as a result.
United axed Solskjaer on Sunday less than 24 hours after a dire defeat away at Watford, with the Hornets winning 4-1 at Vicarage Road.
And, in the aftermath, they’ve been linked with plenty of managers.
United held talks with former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde, who has been out of work since leaving the Catalan giants last year.
They also gave an interview to Rudi Garcia, who insisted he’d neither ‘confirm or deny’ interest in the position.
But, now, United have reached an agreement with Rangnick about stepping in until the end of the campaign.
The 63-year-old is set to sign a six-month deal before then moving upstairs as a consultant.
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And ESPN say the United hierarchy performed a U-turn when they learned Rangnick was seriously interested in taking over.
It’s claimed that, originally, the Red Devils were going to let Carrick stay in charge for six matches.
They believed the retired midfielder could steady the ship, especially after their win over Villarreal in midweek.
However, upon making a breakthrough with Rangnick, the United hierarchy then changed their mind.
They’re now poised to welcome the 63-year-old to the club, with several players likely to benefit.
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Rangnick trusts youth so it’s feasible the likes of Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood and Amad will get more game time than they did under Solskjaer.
Alex Telles may also get more of a chance, with Rangnick previously criticising Luke Shaw.
And United are hoping the German can steer them to Champions League glory, with the win over Villarreal sealing their passage to the knockout stages of the competition.
Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith thinks Rangnick can make a big impact at Old Trafford, despite his contract only being for the short term.
“You ask the German coaches; Thomas Tuchel, Jurgen Klopp and Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich, they all look up to him,” he told Sky Sports.
“He wrote the rule book in many ways for others to follow, I think it’s a really good appointment.
“During his first few months in charge I think you’ll see improvements particularly in individuals, and I think he likes working with young players.
“The likes of McTominay, Sancho, Rashford and Greenwood, he’ll really enjoy working with these players. I think within the next few weeks and months you’ll see those boys kick-on.
“I think you’ll see him stamp his style of football on that United team pretty quickly.
“He’s said many times before one of the main jobs of a coach is to know how he wants his team to play and to sell that vision to his players.
“If those methods start to work, players feel that they’re improving individually, they’ll go with that manager and that’s how he’s achieved success down the years.”
Rangnick becomes the seventh person to be given the United job since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
David Moyes lasted just 10 months before Ryan Giggs was given the final four games of the 2013/2014 campaign.
Louis van Gaal spent two years at the club, with Jose Mourinho then succeeding him.
And Solskjaer came in in December 2018, while Carrick took the reins for the Champions League win in midweek.