Ralf’s sending his wide boys on the attack
DALOT AND TELLES SUIT BOSS
ONE GAME into Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United reign and there are already clear winners and losers within his squad.
With United already through to the Champions League last-16 as group winners, tomorrow’s game against Young Boys gives the interim manager a chance to rotate his squad.
Those who feature are unlikely to start at Norwich on Saturday, as Rangnick looks to build on Sunday’s 1-0 victory at home to Crystal Palace.
Full-backs Diogo Dalot and Alex Telles look to have usurped Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw, who were undroppable under previous manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But the willingness of Dalot and Telles to get forward, in keeping with Rangnick’s demand for highpressing, is likely to see the pair keep their places against Norwich.
Rangnick was impressed with the way midfield pair Fred and Scott McTominay pressed and won back possession without the ball.
Fred capped an industrious display with a sublime winner and it seems the Brazilian, muchmaligned since joining in 2018, could become a go-to man for the new boss.
In Rangnick’s 4-2-2-2 formation, Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho occupied the No.10 roles, behind the front pairing of Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The tweak in formation, from United’s usual 4-2-3-1, gave them greater control and it seems likely they will stick with it, with the full-backs providing width in attack. Tomorrow, players such as Ronaldo, Fernandes and goalkeeper David De Gea are set to be rested, with Rangnick using the dead rubber to see more of his new squad in action. Wan-Bissaka is likely to start, as is Shaw, while Eric Bailly, Anthony Elanga, Donny van de Beek, Juan Mata and Mason Greenwood could all be handed first starts under Rangnick.
Dalot, who has the chance to make the right-back spot his own after three-and-a-half years at United, which included a loan spell at AC Milan, spoke glowingly about the German. “There is no secret that he is a very good manager with very good ideas,” said Dalot. “It’s difficult to change in just a few days. I’m sure that if everybody is together, we’ll do a fantastic job. It was a complete performance against Palace.”
Dalot’s willingness to join the attack has made an impression on Rangnick