Ten Hag must get time for Mission Impossible effort
12.30PM, BT SPORT RANGNICK WARNS CLUB
WHEN he hands over the reins in one of the biggest jobs in football – if not the biggest – Ralf Rangnick hopes time will be on the side of the new man in charge.
But he fears that may not be the case for the Manchester United era of Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman will replace interim boss Rangnick in June and he faces a huge task in making United a major force once again.
Rangnick has told club bosses to show patience and to give Ten Hag as long as he needs to achieve what most people think is ‘Mission Impossible’.
But the German knows a club the size of United needs success as soon as possible.
Rangnick said: “All I’ve heard from people who work with Erik is that he is a very good character.
“Obviously he needs the assistance of the whole club and I think he will get that and have the chance to mould a new team together, with the scouting department and the board.
“For me this is the most vital part, that the club manages to get in the best possible players, with the right attitude and energy.
“We need positive energy for the new team and this is also important for the new manager.
“We spoke about other clubs in a similar position as United five or six years ago, so if the right lessons are being learned from what has happened this season, this could be one of the good things from what we’re going through right now.
“It’s not about the
manager’s quality, it’s about changing all the other things.
“But there’s the level of expectation. This has also got to do with patience but at a club like United, it’s difficult to tell people to be patient.
“We have to face the current situation. It also makes sense to have a sense of reality.
“I wouldn’t even call it patience, I would call it reality. We have to acknowledge this and this would also help Erik.”
Rangnick ripped into his flops after the 4-0 mauling by bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday, and has told the squad they need to give their loyal fans a performance as they look to salvage some pride when they travel to
Arsenal today. He said: “We owe that to the couple of thousand supporters travelling to London and the millions of United fans across the world.
“And it is also a question of pride and honour. We cannot play the way we played at Liverpool, it is just impossible. It is about showing the basics, being compact, coming behind the ball, attacking and sprinting in the right moments.”
Rangnick is ready to leave skipper Harry Maguire out of today’s starting line-up after the defender was subjected to a bomb threat at his home.
Maguire has been struggling for form and that, combined with the mental toll from the bomb scare, has made Rangnick consider leaving him out.
It’s difficult to tell people at United to be patient