April 20, (THEWILL) – Ralf Rangnick, Manchester United’s interim manager, has indicated that the club was at least six years away from the likes of Liverpool and may need to acquire ten new players this summer to get back on track.
As THEWILL reported, United were beaten 4-0 by Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday night, with the visitors’ flaws coming to the fore.
In his post-match remarks, Rangnick stated that United are not on the same level as their Merseyside rivals, citing how the Reds’ roster has improved under Jurgen Klopp’s guidance.
“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 developed 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 reminded that a six-year plan was unlikely to be implemented at United due to the high change of managers, but he dismissed the idea.
“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.”
With Erik Ten Hag set to be announced as the new United manager, it will become his burden to see to this overhaul and shoulder the responsibility of stemming the slide down the scale of relevance in the Premiership. Yet, the level of impatience among fans of the EPL is a cause for concern.
The agitation for a change of guard by club supporters at the first signs of trouble is a trend that will have to be curtailed to give Ten Hag the time to bring about the type of change that Liverpool are now reaping from. The odd example of a Thomas Tuchel, who brought immediate difference to Chelsea, must not be used as a template.
This is why Rangnick used Liverpool’s more consistent build-up for half a dozen years as the example that United must follow to get back on track and to return to reckoning in the EPL and in Europe once again.
The question now is if the patience of building such a foundation for success will be there for it to yield fruit and will Ten Hag be given the chance to deliver on this promise.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
