Man Utd stars joke about Rangnick behind his back after training embarrassment

Ralf Rangnick was the talk of Manchester United’s training ground after he turned up for a session on the players’ day off following their FA Cup win against Aston Villa

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Ralf Rangnick previews Aston Villa clash

Ralf Rangnick has finally got Manchester United ‘s players smiling – accidentally turning up for training on the players’ day off.

The Red Devils interim manager had given his squad a break following their 1-0 win against Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Monday.

United face Villa again this Saturday in the Premier League, and Rangnick was seemingly so desperate to plan a more convincing victory over Steven Gerrard ‘s side that he came into work when there was no training scheduled.

The Mail say that the acclaimed German coach arrived at their Carrington training complex on Tuesday, only to see it largely deserted and no one testing for Covid-19 like on a regular day.

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“He called inside from his car to ask where the testers were and was reminded the players were off. Then he drove away,” a source said of the 63-year-old.

“It was the talk of the training ground. The players were all joking about it.”

Rangnick had already disrupted his players’ life at Carrington by moving training sessions to the afternoon, while he is reportedly set to cancel the Red Devils’ warm weather-warmer training camp in Dubai, planned by predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, later this month.

Right now, though, United will be focussed on getting back to winning ways in the Premier League, having lost 1-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.

Ahead of the match, Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the headlines after an interview which sparked debate amongst the fan base, insisting his teammates need to improve their mentality if they are to rescue a nightmare season.

Rangnick was encouraged by Ronaldo’s comments, telling his players to follow the lead of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

”I think this needs to happen in every single training session, in every game and of course it applies when things don’t go our way during the game,” the man in the Old Trafford dugout until May explained.

“We have to behave in a certain manner, but it’s also about being role models, not just the older players like Cristiano, also the younger players too.

“If I now look back into the last six weeks that I have been here, in all of the games, none more so than the game against Aston Villa on Monday, every player tried his very best.

“They were fighting for each other in order to fight and get through to the next round, but I also think that, from my perspective, there is always room for improvement. We can still get better, with the young players we have [who are] highly talented.

“We have enough older players, but in the end it’s a team sport and it’s a ball game where we have to play together. The older players, the younger players, all have to come together and be united on the pitch.”