Manchester United have confirmed that Ralf Rangnick is leaving the club and will not carry on in a consultancy role, as had been originally planned.
Rangnick was appointed as United’s interim coach in December on a deal until the end of the season but it had been agreed that he would continue at the club in a consultancy role for two years. However, that plan has now been scrapped.
The 63-year-old will take the reins of the Austrian national team after leaving Old Trafford and the decision has been made for him to part ways with United. Erik ten Hag is the new United boss on a permanent basis, having joined the club from Ajax.
A Man United statement on Sunday confirmed the departure of Rangnick: “We would like to thank Ralf Rangnick for his efforts as interim manager over the past six months.
“By mutual agreement, Ralf will now focus solely on his new role as manager of the Austria national team and will not therefore be taking up a consultancy role at Old Trafford. We would like to wish Ralf the best of luck in this next chapter of his career.”
Rangnick was in charge of first-team affairs at Old Trafford for six months but was unable to arrest the club's struggling campaign. United languished to a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League and ended the season trophy-less.
Have Your Say! Was Ralf Rangnick's reign the worst at Old Trafford since Sir Alex Ferguson? Tell us what you think here.
United's miserable campaign continued after the November sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, even though caretaker manager Michael Carrick had appeared to steady the situation prior to Rangnick's arrival. Carrick oversaw wins over Villarreal and Arsenal alongside a draw at Chelsea, but that form proved to be unsustainable.
Of all the damning statistics under Rangnick, the worst may well be the fact that they did not pick up a solitary point in any of their final six away matches in the Premier League or perhaps that they finished the season with a goal difference of 0 - while Man City and Liverpool finished on 73 and 68 respectively.
Rangnick will now take charge of Austria for their upcoming Nations League fixtures, as they face Croatia, Denmark and France in Group A1.
