Ralf Rangnick Admits He Lost Team Spirit At Manchester United

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has confessed he lost team spirit during his six-month reign at Old Trafford.

United will finish this season with their lowest ever points total in the 30-year history of the Premier League after Rangnick was unable to make an impact at the club.

After his arrival United lost only once in his first 13 Premier League games, but since the start of March have lost 5 out of their next 10 games. They were also knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid in March.

“We dropped out at Atletico, we have lost confidence and energy in the team,”Rangnick said at his final pre-match press conference as interim manager on Friday.

“Until then we had stabilised the team. Until then we were much more stable defensively. Since Atletico we just didn’t find our shape or form again.”

“It has got to do with confidence, team spirit and togetherness. This is my biggest disappointment that we didn’t establish that team spirit.”

Rangnick was speaking ahead of his final game against Crystal Palace on Sunday where a victory would confirm United’s place in next season’s Europa League.

But if United fail to win and West Ham beat Brighton on Sunday then they would find themselves in the Europa Conference League instead.

“We again have quite a few players missing and a few question marks,” Rangnick said. “It is still positive we will have a strong starting XI and finish on a strong note. The players want to get things right.”

“They would much rather play in the Europa League than the Conference League. You saw with Frankfurt, they finished in the bottom half of the Bundesliga, but are now in the Champions League next season.”

Despite United not being able to finish any higher than sixth this season, Rangnick still believes United have much to be optimistic about in the future.

“I strongly believe there is a core of players who are top, and good enough to play for this club,” he said. “If we bring in the right players, mentality players, I am positive we will be able to bring the club back to the top. Maybe not in one window, but the next two or three.”

Rangnick will now assume his role as a consultant at Old Trafford on a two-year contract, and give advice to their new manager Erik ten Hag.

“I think we showed that in the last 15 years with Hoffenheim, Salzburg and Leipzig, even for clubs not as prominent as United, it is possible to identify, develop and even sell [players],” he said.

“I know United is not a selling club but rather a developing and buying club, but this is possible and this is what is most important, that the club find players for whom it is the next logical step in their career. If that happens, I can be positive and I can hopefully be encouraging for our fans, and we will bring United back to the top.”

“I have been in contact [with Ten Hag], via WhatsApp, and hopefully we have a chance to meet and speak in person at the weekend or Monday morning at the latest. I’m looking forward to getting to know him in person.”

Rangnick also confirmed that Alejandro Garnacho, Luke Shaw, Phil Jones and Jadon Sancho are all doubts for United’s game against Crystal Palace on Sunday.