RALF’S UNITED VOW
Rangnick says clearout will spark club’s rebuild
MANCHESTER United beat Brentford in their final home match of a miserable season as Old Trafford bid farewell to Ralf Rangnick who insisted the club’s can challenge for trophies sooner than people think.
Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo, the latter with a penalty, and Raphael Varane scored in the last home fixture of a difficult campaign for United.
‘It’s obvious quite a few players will leave and there is a need for top-quality players,’ said Rangnick.
‘Other clubs only needed two or three transfer windows to challenge but we need to bring in topquality players who help raise the level. If this happens then I don’t think it should take too long.’
THERE are some things you can’t polish, as the saying goes, and this desperate, dismal Manchester United season is one of them.
Victory over Brentford last night in the final home game couldn’t paper over the cracks any more than it could silence the dissenting voices from the stands.
There were more protests outside Old Trafford before kick-off and anti-Glazer chants could be heard moments after Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane scored.
Ronaldo, in particular, was excellent here as he continued to make a mockery of those who question his true value to this team. United were bright, too. They looked like a team who wanted to go out on a high at Old Trafford on a night when a number of them were playing here in red for the last time.
Change is coming and not a moment too soon. The best case scenario now is that United equal the club’s lowest ever Premier
League points tally by winning their remaining two games away to Brighton and Crystal Palace, and then qualify for the Europa League. This is not what this great club stands for. The big prizes have long since slipped from their grasp, if they were ever a realistic prospect in the first place.
Those early-season highs seem an age ago now. Five goals in the home opener against Leeds, four next time out against Newcastle. Cristiano Ronaldo’s homecoming and a rapturous reception for his former Real Madrid team-mate Raphael Varane.
Visitors to Old Trafford last night for the final home game of a season that promised so much were greeted by riot police at the gates and protesters gathering under leaden skies around the Holy Trinity statue paying homage to Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best.
It was a depressing image befitting a miserable campaign, irrespective of how United could sign off here. Erik ten Hag cannot take over soon enough.
How many of these players will be back when Ten Hag’s team begin a new chapter in August? It is hard to predict but the exodus could run into double figures.
Juan Mata is one of those players definitely on their way and he was given a first Premier League start of the season to mark his Old Trafford farewell. Ralf Rangnick said there would be ‘no gifts’ in his team selection but this certainly felt like one.
‘I’m surprised,’ former United skipper Roy Keane told Sky Sports beforehand. ‘There’s some loyalty there, giving him a run-out. It tells you where the mindset is. They are giving players a run-out for the wrong reasons.’
This was Nemanja Matic’s Old Trafford swansong too, and Edinson Cavani returned to the squad for the first time in seven weeks just in time to say goodbye to the old place.
Others will follow and there is no guarantee that Ronaldo wants to risk staying for another season like this one. It says everything about how much he has carried this team that the Portugal star had scored eight of United’s last nine league goals — seven of them here at Old Trafford.
So it was a surprise that he wasn’t involved when they scored in the ninth minute, having missed an early chance after he got in behind the Brentford defence.
The move for the goal was started by Diogo Dalot, who swung a pass into the channel for Anthony Elanga to chase. The young Swede produced enough acceleration to reach the ball before it went out, and hooked a cross back for Fernandes to thump home an emphatic volley.
It was about the only significant United move that didn’t involve Ronaldo in the first half.
He failed to convince referee Chris Kavanagh to point to the spot after going down under Mads Roerslev’s challenge, produced a lovely flick to set up Mata for a shot that flew just wide, and then got on the end of the little Spaniard’s cross to score just before half-time only to see it ruled out for offside by VAR.
Ronaldo had a worthy adversary in Christian Eriksen, though. If this was the ideal stage for the Dane to showcase his skills to other clubs — possibly even United — then he certainly seized the opportunity.
Eriksen was at the heart of all Brentford’s best moments, and they could easily have been level at the interval had Bryan Mbeumo converted from his early pass and Ivan Toney not headed inches over from a sumptuous cross.
Ronaldo almost helped United extend their lead within five minutes of the restart when he set up Dalot to hit the bar, but was offside once again. Moment later, Fernandes was the width of a post away from getting a second when Matic’s pass sent him clear.
Eriksen responded by winning a free-kick that he fired on goal from 25 yards, forcing a diving save from David de Gea who then kept out Toney’s low shot with his foot.
But Ronaldo wasn’t going to be denied and his goal arrived from the penalty spot after he was fouled on the hour mark.
The initial pass once again came from Dalot. Ronaldo knocked it past Rico Henry and then went down under the defender’s clumsy recovery challenge. Fernandes missed United’s last penalty at Arsenal so up stepped Ronaldo and he didn’t miss.
Varane volleyed the third from a corner off Pontus Jansson’s knee in the 72nd minute.
By then the farewells were in full swing. Matic and Mata off, Cavani and Jones on. So too were the protests. Green and gold smoke drifted over the pitch as a few fans made good on their promise to walk out in the 73rd minute.
They didn’t miss much.
MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6.5; Dalot 7, Lindelof 6.5, Varane 7, Telles 6; McTominay 7, Matic 6.5 (Fred 71min, 6); Elanga 7 (Cavani 75, 6), Fernandes 6.5, Mata 6.5 (Jones 75, 6); RONALDO 8.
Scorers: Fernandes 9, Ronaldo 61 (pen), Varane 72. Booked: Matic. Manager: Ralf Rangnick 7.5.
BRENTFORD (5-3-2): Raya 5.5; Ajer 6, Roerslev 5, Jansson 6, Sorensen 6, Henry 5; Janelt 5.5 (Dasilva 71, 6), Norgaard 6 (Jensen 71, 6), Eriksen 7.5; Toney 6, Mbeumo 5.5 (Wissa 76). Booked: None.
Manager: Thomas Frank 5.5. Referee: Chris Kavanagh 6. Att: 73,482.