Incoming Leeds boss Jesse Marsch hasn’t been shy about his admiration for Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick over the years.
The former RB Leipzig manager is the overwhelming favourite to take over at Elland Road following Marcelo Bielsa’s departure as manager on Sunday.
The Argentine left the club following a poor run of results which has left Leeds just two points off the relegation zone in just their second season back in the Premier League.
Former Red Bull Salzburg manager Marsch has been installed as the favourite to step into the break in Yorkshire, and the American coach has a long history with United’s current boss.
Having played in the MLS, the 48-year-old made his first steps into coaching with Montreal Impact and New York Red Bulls before making the move to Germany to become Rangnick’s assistant at Leipzig.
Under Rangnick’s role as director of football, Marsch then went on to become manager of Salzburg, where he won two doubles in a row and guided his side to the Champions League.
Following his success in Austria, Marsch returned to Leipzig as manager, replacing Bayern Munich-bound Julian Nagelsmann, but results didn’t go his way, and he was sacked in December.
He looks set for his return to management with Leeds now though, where he will be following Rangnick’s example once again.
Speaking to the Times in 2019, Marsch said: "Ralf Rangnick is a genius in terms of the way he thinks about the game.
“The first time I met him, he really opened my eyes as to how detailed you can be about this game. I have used that to empower my teams to be a version of what I think our philosophy should be.”
Marsch added during an interview with Newsweek in 2020: “I like my teams to play with speed and aggression, and a great deal of credit for that is down to Ralf Rangnick, who I learned an awful lot from."
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