Despite previously being expected to retain ties with the club as a consultant, Manchester United has officially announced that Ralf Rangnick will not be involved moving forward, instead focusing entirely on his job as the Austria national team head coach.
“We would like to thank Ralf Rangnick for his efforts over the past six months,” read the statement by Manchester United. “By mutual agreement, Ralf will now focus solely on his new role as manager of the Austria national team and will not therefore be taking up a consultancy role at Old Trafford,” the club confirmed.
The German godfather of ‘gegenpressing’ had initially pledged to remain involved with Manchester United, upon the conclusion of his term as the interim first team manager. The club and the 63-year-old had planned for him to continue his consultancy role until 2024, although there seems to have been a change of heart by the hierarchy at the club.
When he took on the role of interim head coach at Manchester United, it was hoped the team would improve and accomplish their minimum objective, which was nothing less than finishing inside the Premier League top four and qualifying for the Champions League. Nevertheless, following what looked a promising upturn in results following his appointments, the conclusion to the 2021-22 campaign was dismal to say the least.
Ralf Rangnick announces that he will not be staying on at United as a consultant.#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 29, 2022
Although the team remained unbeaten during the first six games of his tenure as interim head coach, there were concerns about the squad struggling to adapt to his tactical and technical preferences. This led to an unfortunate series of leaks emerging, which suggested that players were unhappy about his methods, indicating considerable disharmony and in-fighting within the squad.
Heading into 2022, the decline of the team was becoming more evident with every game. In February, the Red Devils endured a humiliating home defeat in the FA Cup against Middlesbrough, losing to the Championship side on penalties. As positive performances and results became something of a rarity, the conclusion to the campaign with Rangnick at the helm turned into little more than a disaster.
United were soundly beaten 4-1 by Manchester City at the start of March, then eliminated from the Champions League by Atletico Madrid midway through the month. Further embarrassment came when Rangnick’s men were humiliated by Liverpool, suffering a crushing 4-0 defeat at Anfield that could have been much worse.
The frustrations continued as this Manchester United side limped towards the end of the season, beaten 3-1 at Arsenal as finishing inside the top four slipped further from reach. In the final two games of the 2021-22 campaign under Rangnick, the team looked completely disinterested, which brought a calamitous 4-0 loss at Brighton, then concluded with a drab 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.
1.5/42 – Ralf Rangnick’s points-per-game (1.5) and win percentage (42%) are both the lowest of any Manchester United manager in the Premier League. Consulted. pic.twitter.com/9gO3EZcmM3
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 29, 2022
During what ultimately became an unsatisfactory period under Rangnick, his tenure concluded with 29 games played, 11 wins, 10 draws, and 8 defeats. Nevertheless, the vastly experienced German had been forthright about what was lacking at Manchester United, insisting that major changes needed to be made, if the club was to have any chance of challenging for honours again in the future.
While fans continued to protest about the Glazer family ownership, via the Daily Mirror, Rangnick’s brutally honest verdict added to their displeasure about how the club was being run. In particularly, he highlighted structural deficiencies compared to other leading clubs. Tellingly, he also suggested that Manchester United was miles behind Liverpool, praising their structure and recruitment under Jurgen Klopp.
Now the club has effectively severed all ties with Rangnick, fans are hoping that recent managerial appointee Eric ten Hag can ring in the changes, although even the most passionate supporters are beginning to appreciate that improvements will take time. Most tellingly of all, Manchester United remain way behind their Premier League rivals, looking at early betting odds for the 2022-23 season.
Cutting through the noise of the online betting world, the latest SBO betting guide makes for interesting viewing, including their comparisons of which betting sites offer the most competitive odds. Reviewing a broad selection of the most recommended football betting sites, Manchester Untied are priced at 20/1 best odds for the Premier League title, which is far behind 4/6 best odds for Manchester City to retain their crown, with Liverpool at 9/4 to challenge again.

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