Official: Ralf Rangnick in at Manchester United, questionable for Arsenal

Manchester United have confirmed an agreement with former RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim manager Ralf Rangnick to come in as interim boss until the end of the season, and a club consultant contract for 2 years beyond that. This deal was reported by multiple publications last week, but the official announcement has been made by the club this morning.

The club have publicly embraced Rangnick’s well known football identity and style on social media, likely with full knowledge that team structure and overall direction have been pointed out as weaknesses of the team for several years now, especially under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. If Rangnick is truly to be given power as a sort of sporting director after a permanent manager is appointed, he will likely make a sweeping impact at all levels of the club in terms of tactical approach, recruitment, and youth setup.

Rangnick’s arrival on the touchline is however the most pressing matter, and his appointment depends on the work visa process. If the process is finalized before Thursday he should be there in person, and has reportedly already been studying United’s training sessions as well as game footage in preparation for his takeover. However, Michael Carrick is said to be remaining in charge until the work visa is processed, and Rangnick will only be bringing a few coaches to add to the existing coaching staff.

The winter run of fixtures is a claustrophobic one as always, and Rangnick will have limited training time to implement his style of play on the squad, but the arrival of him and his staff will no doubt introduce some much needed structure after a week of uncertainty after the removal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.