Rangnick reaches out to Ten Hag and wants to exchange Man Utd “opinions”

Ralf Rangnick has admitted that he is eager to speak to Manchester United’s incoming manager Erik ten Hag about the current playing squad at the end of the season

Ralf Rangnick has admitted that he’s eager to “exchange opinions” with Manchester United’s new manager Erik ten Hag ahead of his arrival at Old Trafford.

Rangnick’s uninspiring stint as interim manager is set to conclude at the end of the season, with Ten Hag set to take the reins after wrapping up the Dutch season with Ajax. The Dutchman has impressed in Amsterdam – but faces a huge task to get United firing again.

It was expected that United would be challenging for the title this season after finishing as runners-up behind Manchester City last year. However, that title bid failed to materialise – and now the club is instead at risk of finishing the campaign with their lowest-ever Premier League points tally.

Rangnick – who was recently appointed as the new manager of the Austrian national team – has failed to improve United’s fortunes since replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer back in November. But he has reaffirmed his desire to share his thoughts on United with Ten Hag ahead of the summer – even though the incoming manager still hasn’t been in touch with him.

He told Sky Sports : “I’m pretty sure he’s got my phone number! He’s got another couple of games to play with Ajax, we have another three games to play here. Whenever he wants to speak with me and exchange our opinions, I’m more than happy to do that.”

Ten Hag faces a huge summer in the transfer market, with recent reports claiming that as many as 12 players could depart Old Trafford at the end of the season. New signings will also be required to revitalise United’s beleaguered squad – but Rangnick has backed Ten Hag to improve the club’s shoddy recruitment after recently admitting that the club needed “open-heart surgery” in the transfer market.

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He added: “Knowing Erik [ten Hag] will be the manager, with a good recruitment process and bringing in the right players, I’m very positive the supporters and the media will be able to see a better team and, at the end, hopefully, a better position in the league.”

Rangnick had been mooted to move into a two-year consultancy role after completing his temporary stint in the dugout, but that could now be in doubt. Former United man Dion Dublin claimed United should “sever ties” with Rangnick after pointing out that the struggles the club were being plagued by earlier in the campaign have still been present under the ex-RB Leipzig man. And Dublin also believes that combining his consultancy role at Old Trafford with his new role with Austria simply “isn’t going to work”.

Dublin told Football Focus: “I don’t think it is going to work. I really don’t see how it is. An international manager working at Manchester United. He’s come in and it hasn’t worked for him, it’s not been great. There are still issues in the dressing room.

“The individual performances haven’t been good enough at Manchester United, they can’t get a run of games together. Sever your ties, you gave it a go, thank you very much and let him go. I don’t think you need anything that didn’t work still there.”