Manchester United have officially signed Ralf Rangnick as the interim manager of the club. The 63-year-old German tactician will function in the role until the end of the 2021-2022 season.
After the 6-month deal, he would remain contracted to Manchester United on a consultancy basis for two years which means that Rangnick would be associated with the club until the 2023-2024 season.
The veteran tactician who has enjoyed a series of accolades from his compatriots – Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool and Thomas Tuchel of Chelsea will replace sacked coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Recall that since Manchester United sacked coach Solskjaer on November 21 after a humiliating defeat at the hands of Watford, the assistant coach of the Norwegian tactician, Micheal Carrick has been serving as the club’s caretaker coach.
With the appointment of Ralf Rangnick, Carrick will cease to be the caretaker coach of the club. However, if the German tactician is not able to complete his work visa procedure before Thursday, December 2, 2021, when the club will play against Arsenal at Old Trafford, Carrick will be in charge of the game.
After Rangnick left Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow where he has been working as head of sports and development to accept Manchester United’s appointment, the German tactician noted how excited he is for the appointment.
“I am excited to be joining Manchester United and focused on making this a successful season,” he said.
“The squad is full of talent and has a great balance of youth and experience.
“All my efforts for the next six months will be on helping these players fulfill their potential, both individually and, most importantly, as a team.
“Beyond that, I look forward to supporting the club’s longer-term goals on a consultancy basis.”
Ralf Rangnick has not won any major European title so far in his managerial career but is highly respected among German coaches due to his coaching philosophy and the number of clubs he has helped build.
Aside from helping Schalke to win the German Cup in 2011 and taking RB Leipzig to the final of the tournament in 2019, Rangnick is always hailed for helping Ulm to gain promotion to the German Bundesliga.
Another big achievement of the coach is taking lowly rated Schalke to the semi-final stage of the UEFA Champions League. He has also had jobs at Stuttgart, Hannover, and Hoffenheim.
“Ralf is one of the most respected coaches and innovators in European football,” United’s football director John Murtough said.
“He was our number one candidate for an interim manager, reflecting the invaluable leadership and technical skills he will bring from almost four decades of experience in management and coaching.
“Everyone at the club is looking forward to working with him during the season ahead, and then for a further two years in his advisory role.”
From Thursday, Ralf Rangnick is expected to start pushing Manchester United to make more progress on the Premier league table. The club is currently sitting on the 8th spot on the league table with 18 points in 13 games.
