Ralf Rangnick says he has been proven right after claiming Manchester United needed major surgery two years ago, with the belief that the problems he identified still exist.
Following the decision to sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021, Rangnick was brought to Old Trafford as interim manager with the initial plan being to stay on as a consultant for two years.
Man United’s fortunes did not improve under the German, finishing the 2021/22 season with a record low of 58 points and a goal difference of zero.
Rangnick left the club ahead of Erik ten Hag’s arrival in the summer with plans for his consultant role scrapped.
Check out Rangnick’s comments below.
Need Big Change
Before leaving, Rangnick spoke openly and scathingly about the problems within Man United.
“You don’t even need glasses to see and analyze where the problem lies,” Rangnick said.
“Now it’s about how do we solve it? It’s not enough to just make a few small changes.
“In medicine, you would say this is open heart surgery. If this happens and everyone recognises that this has to happen and if they want to work together then it makes sense and I’m sure it won’t take two or three years to change that.
“This could happen within a year.”
Worst in the Premier League Era
Although United have won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in the two years since Rangnick’s comments, they have failed to close the gap on neighbours Manchester City and have failed to mount a title challenge.
Last season, the Red Devils finished eighth with 60 points, just two points better than their tally under Rangnick with a goal difference of minus one, which was the worst in Premier League history.
Not Surprised
With United back in the doldrums after two defeats in their opening three games of the new season, Rangnick says he is not surprised to see the Premier League giants still struggling and believes the same old problems remain.
“I probably made that statement when the season was almost over about two years ago. It’s probably only two or three weeks since Erik ten Hag was asked the same thing,” Rangnick said.
“Then he said I was right in my analysis. I don’t know how many players they have signed since then, but it looks like I was right.”
Including loan deals, Man United have signed a total of 20 players since Ten Hag’s arrival.
Source: Metro