May 02, (THEWILL) – Ralf Rangnick believes Manchester United will re-establish themselves as a power in the new era under Dutch manager Erik ten Hag.
As THEWILL previously reported, Ten Haag will quit his position as Ajax head coach at the end of the season to take over from temporary United boss Rangnick.
The 52-year-old is to be charged with a rebuilding project, with United currently sitting in sixth place in the English Premier League and on the verge of missing out on UEFA Champions League football after failing to meet expectations yet again this season.
The 20-time English champions have not won a trophy in five years, and Rangnick has previously declared that the team requires “open-heart surgery” to turn their fortunes around.
Rangnick, who will take over as Austria coach, but will continue to consult at Old Trafford, says he has not spoken to Ten Hag since the Ajax coach was named as his successor on a more permanent basis.
The 63-year-old said in an interview ahead of Monday’s Premier League match against Brentford: “I’m pretty sure he’s [Ten Hag] got my phone number!
“He’s got another couple of games to play with Ajax, we have another three games to play here. Whenever he wants to speak with me and exchange our opinions, I’m more than happy to do that.”
Rangnick feels that the next United manager will be successful in the not-too-distant future provided the club learns from its experiences and hires wisely.
He continued: “Knowing Erik will be the manager, with a good recruitment process and bringing in the right players, I’m very positive the supporters and the media will be able to see a better team and, at the end, hopefully a better position in the league.
“There are quite a few good examples in the league with when Jurgen Klopp came to Liverpool, Pep Guardiola to Manchester City, Thomas Tuchel came to Chelsea – yes, he came in the middle of the season and inherited a top-quality squad, but you still need to win the Champions League.
“If you know what you’re looking for, the profiles of the different positions you need, it shouldn’t hopefully take too long.”
Rangnick also revealed he had no idea what role Cristiano Ronaldo will play under Ten Hag, saying: “This is a question you need to ask Erik ten Hag.
“He’s shown that he can still be a vital part of this team, but it’s obvious the team needs some more strikers. There should be two or three new strikers next season, it’s pretty obvious.”
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.
