Ralf Rangnick reportedly said three Man Utd players were 'mood killers', two have since left

Ralf Rangnick reportedly claimed three Manchester United players, two of who have since left the club, were 'mood killers' during his time in charge.

Rangnick was appointed interim manager for the second half of last season following the decision to sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021.

Despite promising a new style of play and radical changes, Rangnick guided United to sixth in the Premier League with their worst-ever points tally in the competition.

Initially set to take up a consultancy role at the end of the campaign, Rangnick instead left United altogether to take charge of the Austria national team in June.

The appointment didn't work on several levels. What he did do was shine a light on United's ageing and bloated squad in perhaps his defining moment as manager.

Rangnick claimed United needed up to 10 new players after being taken apart 4-0 by bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield back in April.

He put together a list of players United should sign, including Erling Haaland and Christopher Nkunku, although all that went out the window when Erik ten Hag arrived.

On that list were players he believed United needed to part ways with to start a rebuild. Bild claimed Rangnick identified two forwards and a midfielder who had too much influence in the dressing room.

Among those were Paul Pogba and Edison Cavani, who departed for Juventus and Valencia upon the expiry of their contracts that year.

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Pogba's last game for the club ended up being that game at Anfield when he left the pitch less than 10 minutes in due to injury.

Cavani, meanwhile, lost his shirt number to Cristiano Ronaldo and scored just two goals all season.

The other player Rangnick wanted to part ways with was Anthony Martial. He did get his wish, albeit temporarily, with Martial joining La Liga outfit Sevilla on a season-long loan.

Martial has since returned to United and struggled with injury. The club signed Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta in the summer transfer window, with Martial no longer seen as a starter.

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Hojlund has established himself as United's first-choice striker after a slow start to life in England.

The Denmark international has scored 13 goals in all competitions, including five in the Champions League.

He is expected to be fit for Sunday's FA Cup showdown with Liverpool after several weeks out with a muscle injury.

Topics: Ralf Rangnick, Manchester United, Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Edinson Cavani

Daniel Marland

Daniel is a social editor for SPORTbible after moving from the writing team. Nearly scored past Stormzy at Old Trafford once.

@DanMarland_