Paul Merson has questioned whether Ralf Rangnick is the right man to take the Manchester United job, because he's never managed in England.
Rangnick is expected to take over the job as United manager, until the end of the season, in the next few days, with the German's work permit and release from Lokomotiv Moscow still to be sorted.
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Examples of Rangnick's methods as a manager have been spoken about a lot since the news came about and the reaction has been generally pretty positive.
Even Jurgen Klopp claimed his rivals getting his fellow countryman was 'not good news' for the rest of the Premier League, but not everyone is as impressed.
Merson thinks that the 63-year-old's lack of experience in England, and at any 'top teams,' works against him and thinks the appointment is further proof of bad planning at Old Trafford.
"I know I'm hearing great words and people saying how great he is- but he's never managed in England," the former Arsenal forward told Sky Sports.
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"He's never managed one of the top teams in the world. Why's that?
"That's what I want to know. Why has no one else come in for him when managers have been up and that's what I always look at."
Rangnick hasn't managed Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund but has taken charge of the likes of Schalke, Stuttgart and RB Leipzig.
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He has been well known for establishing sides further up the table than their previous record suggests, and took Leipzig into the Bundesliga for the first time.
However, Merson doesn't think that is enough to be United boss, "I hear great things about him and he's going to press and he's hard-working and turned lesser teams into real contenders. That's a lot different," the Sky pundit added.
"It's a lot different getting a Schalke or a Hoffenheim and getting them to a certain stage, but when you're asked to go to one of the biggest clubs in the world and they've already got superstars and you've got to make them play.
"It's alright at Schalke and Hoffenheim because they're going to listen and want to get there. These players are there and you've got to get them to go again.
"I think this is going to be difficult.
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"I think this is going to be a lot harder than people I think. From what I'm hearing it's like a 'give me'.
"I hear a lot of people say Man United are lucky. I'm not so sure about that."
As well as taking over in the dugout until the end of the season, it's been reported that Rangnick is set to take a consultancy role at United for the following two seasons.
That second job is thought to be one of the biggest positives to his appointment, considering his talent spotting exploits at Leipzig in the past.
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It's not the first time Merson has questioned a signing at Old Trafford this term, having thought that the decision to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to the club was wrong.
Featured Image Credit: PA/Sky SportsTopics: Ralf Rangnick, Manchester United, Premier League, Paul Merson
