C PALACE MAN UNITED

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RALF RANGNICK will tell Erik ten Hag he needs to sign players with the right mentality to turn Manchester United around.

Rangnick (below) has been messaging Ten Hag and will tell him what he feels should be done when he hands over to United’s new boss on Monday. He believes they have the nucleus of a top side and says Ten Hag can make them winners again with the right recruitment.

“I still strongly believe there is a core of players who are top, and good enough to play for this club and hopefully most of those players will still be here,” said the Reds interim boss.

“If the board, Erik, the scouting department want, I will help with all the issues. If we bring in players with the right mentality, the right quality of player, I’m positive we will be able to bring this club not only back on track, but back to the top.

“Maybe it will not happen in one transfer window.

“But I’m very positive it can happen in the next two or three windows.”

Ten Hag flew into London this week and will watch United’s final game of the season – and the end of Rangnick’s sixmonth reign – tomorrow at Crystal Palace. Rangnick plans to meet Ten Hag and says the former Ajax coach will benefit from having almost three months to prepare for next season.

“We have contacted each other on Whatsapp,” said the German.

“Hopefully we will be able to speak in person at the weekend or on Monday.

“I’m looking forward to speaking to him and I’m sure it will be good knowing him in person.

“For Erik, the good thing is he will come at the beginning of the season.

“He will have some influence on selecting the right players, together with the board and the scouting department.

“If there is a good thing about this poor season, it is that it’s pretty obvious in which areas we need to make sure there is improvement.”

Rangnick blames himself for United’s poor finish to the season, which has cost them a Champions League place.

Their place in the Europa League is still not assured and they must beat Palace to guarantee a top-six finish.

Rangnick pinpointed their Champions League last-16 loss to Atletico Madrid in March as the trigger for their collapse and they have won just two of their eight games since, losing four times.

“Since the Atletico game we didn’t find our shape, our form again,” he said.

“This has to do with confidence, also a little bit with mentality, team spirit, togetherness. We just fell short in those areas.

“The biggest disappointment is we didn’t manage to develop a certain team spirit that helped us in different parts of the game. This is the biggest issue.

“Although we were on a positive pathway in the first three or four months, we couldn’t keep that going and that’s why I’m absolutely disappointed.

“We could all have done better, including myself. We all have to be as selfcritical as we can be.

“And now it’s about drawing the right conclusions from what happened.”