Man Utd duo ‘pulled apart’ as fight causes Rangnick to cut training short

Ralf Rangnick was reportedly forced to cut a Manchester United training session short after two players were involved in a bust-up, forcing them to be pulled apart

Two Manchester United players were allegedly involved in a training-ground bust-up which forced interim manager Ralf Rangnick to end their session early on Thursday.

It has been claimed by The Sun that the unnamed pair were involved in a ‘full-on scrap’ towards the end of the Red Devils’ training session. Rangnick is said to have reacted by ordering the rest of the ‘stunned’ United squad back into the changing rooms at their Carrington training complex.

Despite their humiliating 4-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion last Saturday, the 63-year-old gave his side four days off, with the Red Devils not back in action until the final day of the season, next Sunday. Tensions reportedly boiled over upon their return, however, with the feuding team-mates having to be pulled apart.

Rangnick will take charge of his final match as boss against Crystal Palace and the trip to Selhurst Park will mark their end of what is guaranteed to be the 20-time English champions’ worst-ever Premier League campaign when it comes to points. The acclaimed German coach will then make way for Erik ten Hag, who is set to wave goodbye to Ajax this weekend when they visit Vitesse.

Ten Hag wrapped up his third Eredivisie title in four completed terms on Wednesday with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Heerenveen, as the 51-year-old emotionally declared: “I’ve worked with so many great people, especially the players. We’ve done so many great things together. But there is a time to leave.”

Also speaking to Voetbal International post-match, Ten Hag revealed the moment that decided to leave Amsterdam. “That was not so long ago. Actually only after the talks with Man Utd, which only started in the last international break, at the end of March,” the Dutch tactician explained. “Those conversations were so good that I got the feeling: I want to take on that challenge.

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“Then it started to come to life in my head and I made the decision that I would leave Ajax.” Ten Hag added: “It felt like a difficult but great challenge. That is the most beautiful thing there is. There is something to build at United and something to gain. Manchester United is such a big name in football history. It feels like a challenge to put the club back on track of winning.

“Old Trafford is nicknamed the Theatre of Dreams for a reason. It is a club with name, fame and allure in international football. Everyone knows the history of the beautiful teams. From Sir Alex Ferguson of course, but also further back in time. The great team of the late fifties, which suddenly disappeared with the plane crash.

“The history is impressive, but I also started to delve into the present and the future. And the options that are available. They are there, also financially. If you also get a good feeling about the people there, then the picture is right and then the factors are present to take this step.

“I do know that Manchester United have gone through a very careful procedure. They also really knew a lot about me. They had done scouting, made analyses, gathered data, had interviews with people who had worked with me. Several rounds of discussions followed from there. So they didn’t decide overnight. Neither did I.”