Man Utd reach agreement to get their interim man so focus shifts to permanent search
Manchester United have reached an agreement with Ralf Rangnick for him to become their interim manager, according to a report.
Rangnick had been identified as the Red Devils’ first-choice target to take temporary charge for the rest of the season. The Lokomotiv Moscow head of sports and development desired a long-term switch, though.
So Old Trafford chiefs have agreed to hand him a further two-year contract in a consultancy role come next summer, as per The Athletic.
Rangnick, 63, has settled on terms for his initial six-month stint in the dugout. But he will not be in charge for this weekend’s trip to Chelsea.
Work permit issues prevent him from doing so. Michael Carrick will therefore manage for the second match after the midweek Champions League win over Villarreal.
Rangnick’s United deal is believed to be subject to Lokomotiv releasing him from his current contract. But this should be a mere formality.
The German had emerged as the top candidate for the position after interviews were held. He topped former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde.
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And a further three bosses were also in contention. They were Rudi Garcia, Lucien Favre and Paulo Fonseca.
United moved quickly to secure Rangnick. They wanted to wrap up the interim manager so attention could turn to their search for a permanent boss.
Rangnick has spent most of his professional career in his native country. He’s had spells at Hannover, Schalke, Hoffenheim and RB Leizpig.
It’s as a sporting director where he has truly excelled. He held the role for Leipzig and their sister side RB Salzburg in Austria simultaneously from 2012.
And it was during that period that they both rose to become top contenders in their respective leagues. Leipzig were promoted from the fourth tier all the way to the Bundesliga.
Henry issues United with warning
They may have wrapped up their interim search, but United’s hunt for their boss from the summer of 2022 onwards could take longer to complete.
Thierry Henry has warned them to forget both Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane.
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“I don’t know if they can get him [Pochettino],” he told CBS Sports. “When you are the coach of a team like Paris Saint-Germain you would like to see it out.
“But then also if you go to Man United you’re almost going into another type of headache to try to find a way to balance it out, because that is what he’s trying to do right now with Paris Saint-Germain.
“I don’t think that he will go, personally.
“Zidane going to United? I don’t think he would be interested in that now.
“Why? Because in the back of my head I’m thinking that maybe he’s waiting for the national team job. I think he has that in the back of his mind.”
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