Ralf Rangnick Expects Manchester United Squad To Radically Change

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick predicts the club will undergo a major overhaul this summer and witness the arrival and departure of many players.

“[There] will be a significant change and rebuild necessary, that’s clear, but how many players and in which positions I’ve not spoken to Erik Ten Hag yet,” Rangnick said at his press conference on Friday. “That it’s not only three or four players is obvious. Bearing in mind how many players’ contracts are expiring.”

“There might be a few others who, although they still have contracts, are already on loan and still want to be on loan or to leave the club.”

There could be as many as eleven players leaving Old Trafford in the coming months, including Phil Jones, Nemanja Matic, Anthony Martial, Dean Henderson and Eric Bailly, while the existing contracts of Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba and Juan Mata finish at the end of the season, and all are expected to leave.

“I haven’t spoken to Erik as yet but if he asks me in person my opinion, I am obviously ready and willing to speak with him about my experience. But on the other hand he will have his own ideas.”

United confirmed on Thursday the Ajax manager Erik ten Hag will become the club’s new permanent manager this summer, and Rangnick will swap his interim manager position for a new consultancy role.

“We don’t know each other in person, we haven’t met as yet. But from what I have seen him doing, both at Bayern Munich when he was the Under-23 coach and at Ajax now, I like his football and I’m pretty positive with a full pre-season, with having the chance to build and mould his own staff, also a new team which is obvious we will have a new team. I am pretty sure that we will see a different team and improvement on the pitch.”

“I knew that Erik was one of the candidates the board spoke to. And obviously I told them from, at least from what I had seen and had known from people who had worked with Erik that I think he would be a good choice.”

On Saturday United will face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in their first game since falling to a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Liverpool on Tuesday night, and Rangnick is hoping to see a quick response. “They were all disappointed as we all were, so obviously it’s now up to us and to the players to show a reaction on the pitch. On Thursday we trained [on] some issues in connection with the game.”

The defeat to Liverpool left United in sixth position, three points behind Arsenal in fifth and Tottenham in fourth, who both have a game in hand and a superior goal difference.

“I don’t think it makes sense to speculate about how likely it is we can finish fourth or wherever. It doesn’t make sense after a performance like that at Liverpool. We just need to make sure that we play far better. This is the only way to deal with it.

“We need to get the best possible team on the pitch and then play in a different way, with more conviction, with more confidence, and with more aggressive behaviour on the pitch. I mean the way we played at Liverpool, especially in the first half, it will be difficult to get something out of the game at Arsenal. But we will have to change and show a completely different performance.”

United will welcome back Scott McTominay and Raphael Varane from injury, while Cristiano Ronaldo returns from his compassionate leave. But Paul Pogba is ruled out with injury and unlikely to play again this season.

“The doctor told me that it will take four weeks minimum for Paul to recover,” Rangnick said. “And since the last game is at the end of May, I don’t think it is very likely he will be able to play again.”