Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick has highlighted what the club need to do in the transfer market to challenge Manchester City and Liverpool.
Interim manager Ralf Rangnick has opened up on what Manchester United will have to do off the pitch to build a team that can challenge arch-rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
Manchester United have been going through an ordinary campaign that seems to be getting poorer with each passing week. After crashing out of the UEFA Champions League before the international break, the Red Devils now look likely to miss out on a top-four finish in the Premier League, following a tame display in their 1-1 draw against Leicester City on Saturday.
While Manchester United look primed for life in the Europa League next term, their biggest rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool, are battling it out at the top of the table in an engaging title race. Given the vast gulf between the Red Devils and their arch-enemies, the 20-time English champions have a lot to do to make up that gap.
Firstly, Manchester United will need to get their managerial appointment right, with the likes of Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino emerging as the favoured targets. Then, the Premier League’s faltering giants will need to get their transfer plans on point, which has been a major issue in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Ralf Rangnick on Man Utd next manager: "Whenever the new head coach is clear, it has to be: how does he want to play and what kind of players do we need? Then we come back to DNA, speed, physicality, tempo. What do we need?". ?? #MUFC @utdreport pic.twitter.com/faJ58k2VQO
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 4, 2022
And, Rangnick, who will move into a consultancy role at Manchester United once the new manager arrives, has opened up on what the team can do in the market to take a step closer to the top.
“Both teams of Manchester City and Liverpool, those two teams have been built together and recruited over a period of five or six years, all of them under the premises of how do the coaches want to play,” Rangnick said, as quoted by ESPN. “This is what has to happen. That far, I can go right now. I told the board this is what has to happen.”
“Whenever the new head coach is clear, it has to be: ‘How does he want to play and what kind of players do we need for that?’ Then we come back to DNA, speed, physicality, tempo — what do we need? This team does not lack technical players; it can do with more physicality.”
The German tactician then opined that it could take up to three transfer windows for Manchester United to sort their issues out and get closer to their rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool. “It takes right decisions and where you want to go to — what kind of players, what kind of manager — and then in every transfer window try to get the best possible,” the interim coach added.
“This is possible. This is not rocket science. It has to be done, and if that happens, it does not necessarily need three or four years, maybe two or three transfer windows, then the situation could be different.”
