Former Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick reportedly held a lengthy phone talk with his permanent successor, Erik ten Hag, to discuss the abhorrent condition of the squad he leaves behind.<\/p>\n
The German and the incoming Dutchman spent two hours talking about the state of the Manchester United\u00a0squad as the baton of power changed hands at Old Trafford. Rangnick, 63, was at Old Trafford for half a year as United interim manager after replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer\u00a0midway through an underwhelming season. The expectations then were that he would begin a two-year spell as a consultant for the club this summer, once Ten Hag, 52, arrived to replace him in the dugout.<\/p>\n
However, the latest news is that United confirmed on Sunday\u00a0that Rangnick will not be taking up this post but will instead “focus solely on his new role as manager of the Austria national team”. Although this in effect ended his brief association with Ten Hag even before it could even officially begin as expected earlier, the German did take the time to have a lengthy phone call with the Dutchman, according to the Daily Telegraph.<\/p>\n
The two managers allegedly spoke about the condition of the squad Ten Hag has inherited, which lamely finished sixth in the Premier League\u00a0last season. The talks reportedly took place after Rangnick returned to Germany and Ten Hag had also travelled back to Amsterdam following the 1-0 defeat by Crystal Palace\u00a0on the final day of the campaign.<\/p>\n
Apparently much was discussed as Ten Hag is faced with a massive rebuilding job during the summer transfer window. For one, United’s defence had been exposed to intense scrutiny during a really patchy season and are set to lose a number of midfielders – including Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata – besides a significant number of attackers.<\/p>\n
Rangnick’s supposedly vast experience as a sporting director could have been valuable in navigating the transfer market and identifying players to take the club forwards but United chiefs are concerned he would struggle to dedicate the required six days per month to his consultancy role as was originally stipulated.<\/p>\n
Rangnick will manage Austria for his first match on Friday as they travel to Croatia in the Nations League. After that they are also due to face Denmark twice and World Cup-holders France over the next two weeks.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ten Hag and his backroom coaching team need to get almost immediately to work rebuilding the United squad if they are to improve on a totally unforgettable season and work anew on securing a return to the Champions League.<\/p>\n
A number of exciting forwards are linked with a move to Old Trafford including Benfica\u2019s Darwin Nunez and RB Leipzig\u2019s Christopher Nkunku.<\/p>\n
In defence, Villarreal’s Pau Torres is back on the radar while an audacious swoop for Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante has also been touted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"