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Ralf Rangnick Wasn't On Speaking Terms With Football Director At Manchester United

Ralf Rangnick Wasn't On Speaking Terms With Football Director At Manchester United

Manchester United's interim manager didn't feel like he had the backing of those in charge at the club and didn't speak to John Murtough.

Ralf Rangnick's time at Manchester United ended as a disaster and more details of the German's time at the club have further revealed the extent of the problems.


The first half of last season for United was not exactly up to scratch, which is exactly why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked, following a 4-1 loss to Watford in November.

But things didn't exactly improve in the second half of the campaign, under interim boss Rangnick, with the team finishing a pitiful 13 points of fourth place, and an embarrassing 35 points off top spot.

The interim boss' time in Manchester really didn't work out, with claims of player power, others losing complete confidence in the manager, and also name calling behind his back.

Now more details have come out about the Austria manager's time in charge of the 13 times Premier League winners, with talk of a rift between players and a complete breakdown in communication between Rangnick and football director John Murtough.

"The squad was split after a disagreement over the captaincy, with Cristiano Ronaldo at its core, which left Harry Maguire unhappy," Simon Stone wrote for BBC Sport.

Maguire's captaincy came under the spotlight under Rangnick. Image: Alamy
Maguire's captaincy came under the spotlight under Rangnick. Image: Alamy

"The much-lauded arrival of Ralf Rangnick dissolved to such an extent the German was barely on speaking terms with the man who appointed him, football director John Murtough.

"For his part, Rangnick didn't feel he got the support he needed and too many players failed to take responsibility for their own performance.

"Rangnick's forthright observations - such as describing the club's need for "open heart surgery" - in press conferences may have gone down well with the media present and fans, but Murtough didn't feel it was the right forum to express them and was concerned no attempt was made to protect the club's reputation."

Ronaldo has previously been talked about as a replacement for Maguire. Image: Alamy
Ronaldo has previously been talked about as a replacement for Maguire. Image: Alamy

The former RB Leipzig director of football was very open and honest in his press conferences were the only thing that did earn praise from fans.

They were looking forward to his brutal assessment moving over to his new role as 'consultant' once he made way in the dugout for Ten Hag.

However, that hasn't happened, with the 63-year-old instead leaving England altogether in order to become the Austria national team manager, already looking like he's done better work than his six months at United.

According to reports, the new manager had no interest with working with the man he took over from and didn't even meet with him on person, only speaking to Rangnick on the phone.

The Dutchman could have his own problems, now he's taken over the reigns, with United yet to do any transfer business so far this summer.

Frenkie de Jong could join any day now, with an agreement with Barcelona reportedly getting closer, but Cristiano Ronaldo is already said to be worried about the club's plans.

The fact that Ten Hag could only have £100 million to spend, before sales, is also a bit of a worry considering CEO Richard Arnold recently said money wasn't an issue.

The team are in need of at least another forward before the season starts, whilst a defensive midfielder, centre back and right back could also be in the 52-year-old's thoughts.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Premier League, Manchester United, Ralf Rangnick, Erik Ten Hag