Manchester United's recent horror show against Sevilla which saw them exit the Europa League might be the alibi needed to back the former interim manager Ralf Rangnick's statement about the club needing up to 10 new signings and an open heart surgery if there was to be any serious attempt to bring back the glory days at the club.
Ralf Rangnick, while he was stil the interim manager of Manchester United, stated that in order to restart their rebuild, the team may need to buy 10 new players this summer.
Back in April 2022 at Anfield, the Red Devils were destroyed 4-0 by rivals Liverpool, with the visitors' flaws quickly coming to light.
Rangnick cited the Reds' squad's improvement under Jurgen Klopp as evidence that people need to realize that United are not on the same level as their Merseyside rivals.
"Jurgen came six years ago and if you compare the squad he inherited, he came after eight or nine games and finished eighth, this is roundabout where we are currently. He had a point average of that season of 1.6 but with every transfer window after that they develop the kind of squad we have today," Rangnick said.
"I am not blaming anyone, not my players nor anyone else, but we just have to realise what kind of squad they had available."
"Look at their bench, look at the four players who weren't even in the squad: Roberto Firmino was the only one who was injured. Oxlade-Chamberlain wasn't in the squad, Minamino was not in the squad, Harvey Elliott was not in the squad. This shows what kind of quality and team they have built together working with Jurgen and his team for the last six years."
"It is not just the quality of players but what kind of mentality they have, what kind of energy and physicality compared with high-speed. I would say they have 25 Formula One cars in their squad."
Rangnick was subsequently informed that a six-year plan was unlikely to be implemented at United due to their high manager turnover, but he rejected the idea.
Ralf Rangnick compared the work needed by Manchester United to open-heart surgery, saying the team can be revived with the right leadership under Erik ten Hag.
"You don’t even need glasses to see and analyse where the problems are,” Ralf Ragnick stated during a press conference while he was still interim manager at United.
"Now it’s about how do we solve them? It’s not enough to do some minor amendments – cosmetic things. In medicine you would say that this is an operation of the open heart. If this happens and everyone has realised that this has to happen and if people want to work together then it makes sense and I believe it doesn’t take two or three years to change those things. This can happen within one year."
“For sure [strong leadership is needed]. This is something that not just one single person as a manager can do. With all respect to Jürgen [Klopp] and Pep [Guardiola] I’m sure that they didn’t do all the things themselves [at Liverpool and Manchester City]. There were also other people involved in those two clubs, people in certain positions, no matter what area it was, in order to rebuild and build something we want to build here. In all areas you have to have top people and they have to work together in a very close, reliable way.”
Ralf Rangnick tipped Erik Ten Hag to do just well at Man United after it was confirmed that he would assume the position of permanent manager the next season. Despite the media being sceptical about his appointment at a club where the likes of Jose Mourinho and Louis Van Gaal failed to get things into place, Ralf Ragnick was optimistic about the 54 year old Ajax manager coming to Old Trafford.
“All I heard from people who work with him is that he is a very good character, communicative, and does things himself,” he said. “Obviously he needs the assistance of all the people inside the club and he will get that and have the chance to mould a new team together with the scouting department and the board, which is necessary. The most vital part is that the club manages to get in the best possible players, and we have the attitude, the energy. We need positive energy for the new team and this is also important for the new manager.”
"Why not? In our own city it happened with Pep [Guardiola]," he added.
"If you look at the two clubs who are currently dominating the Premier League, they did exactly that. They brought in two managers and not only did they bring in two managers, they also changed the whole thing in terms of formation, what kind of players do they need? What kind of football do we want to play?
"The headline of everything was 'how do we want to play?' And underneath this headline after every transfer window, they created the team they have in both clubs."
"If you analyse the situation, it's not that difficult to analyse. The team needs a rebuild, not because some players have to go but quite a few have no contracts anymore, their contracts are expiring, then for me it's clear there will be six, seven, eight, maybe 10 new players.
"And before you sign those players you need to be aware how do you want to play? What kind of football does the new manager want to play? And then take it from there and then bring every single player fitting into that kind of profile."
It could be agreed that Manchester United haven't really played Erik Ten Hag's possession dominating or transitional style of football, but have tried to adapt to the caliber of players available. Injuries haven't been so friendly which has also seen key players miss out, but Erik Ten Hag has managed to validate Ralf Ragnick's statement about his appointment with a Carabao Cup final triumph and a third place finish in the Premier League very close.
Erik Ten Hag certainly knows some of this players aren't cut it to play for United he stated that Man United signed average players in the past which contributed to their lack of quality amongst their squad.
It has happened thrice this season, against Liverpool, Newcastle United and recently Sevilla, and Erik Ten Hag has spotted the 'lack of fighting spirit' attribute in his squad.
"I have to acknowledge [the lack of fight] it's the truth, it's hard, it's tough, it's the truth and it can't be -- it's unacceptable," Ten Hag told a news conference.
"We showed in the past we can quickly bounce back, we have done it many times this season but we have to start games better, more desire, more composure on the ball. When you get the setback you have to deal with it and carry on.
"Tonight we were not good enough. It was obvious, it was clear. We did not match the standards you can expect from a Manchester United team."
Recent report claimed that Erik ten Hag intends to offload a handful of players this summer, including Anthony Martial, according to The Mail. He had recently recovered from an Injury, and this might have been his last chance to change his mind.
The fate of senior Manchester United players including Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelöf, Scott McTominay, and Fred will be decided this summer under Erik ten Hag's guidance.
To raise funds to reinvest in the team and elevate the bar, management will take this action. Ten Hag has concentrated his assessment of his players as he attempts to continue his rebuild after the humiliating 3-0 loss to Sevilla on Thursday, which saw United ousted 5-2 overall from the Europa League.
It is believed that David de Gea will sign a new contract since Ten Hag prioritizes acquiring a world-class No. 9 and boosting the midfield in the summer transfer window. De Gea and Maguire were teammates in Seville's defensive charade. Ten Hag must also decide whether the loans from Marcel Sabitzer and Wout Weghorst should be changed into long-term contracts. The former may not be retained, although a deal with Bayern Munich for Sabitzer may be pursued.
How much Ten Hag will spend will depend on whether Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, a Qatari financier, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, or any new finance from investment firms interested in partnering with Ten Hag will take over management of the company.
Sancho hasn't lived up to expectations, as evidenced by United's potential interest in a winger who originally cost Borussia Dortmund £73 million (€82.5 million) in July 2021. The most expensive defender in history is still Maguire, who paid £80 million (€90.4 million) to buy in 2019. He is a native of Leicester. According to The Guardian, Van de Beek, who has had difficulty keeping a place at United, received an initial payment of £34.7 million (€39.2 million) from Ajax.
United's season isn't over yet because they still have an FA Cup semi-final to play on Sunday and aren't guaranteed a spot in the top four, but last Thursday night's low point was a massive letdown.
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