19th April, 2022
Ralf Rangnick, the interim manager of Manchester United, has announced that the club will need more than a new face in the dugout if they hope to eventually rival Liverpool and City.
With multiple reports confirming that Ajax’s Erik ten Hag is close to joing the club, Rangnick believes Manchester United must be ready for massive overhaul.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Rangnick said: “It’s not enough to bring in three or four new players. It will be more, bearing in mind how many players will no longer be here [out of contract].
“Apart from goalkeeping, we need to improve the squad in ALL areas”.
Rangnick also spoke on what must be changed in the way the club is runned.
“In Germany we have a head coach and then there is usually a minimum of two skilled people continuously in the club on a longer-term basis responsible for recruitment, scouting and any daily operation.
“They also bring in the right and best possible head coach for the team. This still hasn’t got a big tradition here and so the job of a sporting director or director of football – only a few clubs have that.
“I know that for the future, and I think even more so for a big club like Manchester United, you can’t put all those jobs and tasks and the whole responsibility only on the shoulder of one person – on the manager. I’m not sure if this can be dealt with by one person, no matter how good he is.
“I know Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea also have smart people who take care of recruitment, scouting, the medical department… I think this is also an issue for our club, where they have to pay attention to.”
Rangnick deserves an audience when he speaks about shrewd, sustainable structures.
Hoffenheim were transformed from a third division club with no medical, scouting or operations arms to technological pioneers by his design.
The recruitment and academy models Rangnick implemented at RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg have become a template across the game, with their market gems moving on to bigger clubs for hefty profits.
Julian Nagelsmann, the Bayern Munich manager, summed him up as thus: “He puts the puzzle together, he makes a club whole. It’s sustainability with style and being really football smart.”