April 29, (THEWILL) – Ralf Rangnick has been named Austria’s new national team coach.
Rangnick will remain in charge of Manchester United until the end of the season, having taken over as temporary manager after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fired in November.
At the beginning of May, the 63-year-old will prepare Austria for Nations League games against Croatia, Denmark, and France.
Rangnick’s contract will initially be for two years, but if Austria qualify for Euro 2024 in Germany, it will be extended until the 2026 World Cup, according to an Austrian Football Association (OFB) statement released on Friday.
Austria has been looking for a new coach since Franco Foda quit after the team’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following a 2-1 defeat to Wales last month. Foda had been in charge since 2017 and had been instrumental in Austria’s qualification for Euro 2020.
Gerhard Milletich, the OFB president President, said: “We are very pleased that we were able to [appoint] Ralf Rangnick, an outstanding expert in international football, as team boss,” said
“We are all convinced that he is the ideal man and that his vision will advance the national team and the OFB.”
Following the confirmation, Rangnick said: “It’s an honour for me to take on the role of team boss. I’m particularly excited about the prospect of contesting the European Championships in Germany with a young team hungry for success.”
Rangnick has an elevated reputation in the game and a depth of expertise, despite the fact that United has underperformed this season since Solskjaer’s firing and his arrival has failed to create the predicted turnaround in fortunes.
In two seasons, the German manager guided Hoffenheim from the third tier to the Bundesliga, and in 2011, he led Schalke to DFB-Pokal triumph.
Rangnick served seven seasons with RB Leipzig between 2012 and 2019, mostly as a Sports Director but also as a coach in the 2015/2016 and 2018/2019 seasons.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
