Manchester United ’s disappointing goalless draw against relegation-threatened Watford on Saturday was bound to cause a reaction among supporters.
Here was a side who had won just one of their last 19 matches, turning up at Old Trafford on the back of a 4-1 thrashing by Crystal Palace which had left them languishing in 19th place.
Confidence was not high in Roy Hodgson’s side. And yet, with a bit of luck, they managed to leave Manchester with a very creditable point to go with the three they took in a remarkable 4-1 win against United back in November.
That result was the final nail in the coffin for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Saturday’s is not the same for Ralf Rangnick – but it could well set into action a reaction of a different kind.
After the 0-0 draw, Rangnick went to sign some memorabilia for United fans outside Old Trafford.
There he was approached by a supporter wanting to ask the interim manager about the club’s transfer plans for the summer.
The exchange offers a glimpse into the mind of a typical fan, as well as Rangnick, who is set to become a consultant in the summer when a new manager arrives.
The supporter asks: “There are three big names to come to the club in the summer – [Jules] Kounde, [Declan] Rice and [Erling] Haaland…”
Rangnick responds: “Who?”
The fan repeats: “Kounde, Rice and Haaland.”
Rangnick shoots back: "What are you dreaming at night?!".
The German manager’s blunt response should not be surprising, given his oft-stated thoughts on transfers.
“My opinion on winter transfers is clear," Rangnick said in December when asked about the January transfer window.
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"It needs to be a player who improves the quality, who improves the team to get better, it needs to be a high-quality player, no matter in which area of the pitch.
"If it’s a midfielder or whatever it is, it needs to be a player who really helps us to get better.
“And on the other hand, it needs to be a player, in case we would want him in the summer and he should be available for similar conditions in the winter, then it might make sense to discuss it and to have thoughts about that.
“But only then, if those two things come together. And it needs to be the right mentality, not only the right quality. We also need, especially for this competitive league, to have the best possible mentality.
“They need to be mature enough, have a winning mentality. For me, the mentality is even more crucial than anything league in the world."
Having spent years working as a director of football at RB Leipzig, Rangnick has clear beliefs when it comes to transfers.
While he will ultimately be stepping aside in the summer, with a new manager coming in to take control, Rangnick will still be influential.
He is the man in charge of the team at the moment – and he is the man who football director John Murtough agreed to give a two-year consultancy role to.
Therefore, if Rangnick has anything to do with it, United are not just going to get the cheque book out to bring in Sevilla’s Kounde, West Ham ’s Rice and Borussia Dortmund’s Haaland.
United showed last summer when they signed Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane that they have the financial might to compete with Europe’s giants.
But one of the reasons why they are now scrapping for fourth place, rather than competing for the title with rivals Manchester City and Liverpool, is their hit-and-miss recruitment strategy.
This summer is being billed as a reset. Ed Woodward – the man many fans blame for the current situation – is gone. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is gone. Rangnick will soon be sidelined.
A new leadership group of Murtough, technical director Darren Fletcher and chief executive Richard Arnold have been empowered. A new manager, maybe Mauricio Pochettino, perhaps Erik ten Hag, will be hired.
Recruitment is a key aspect of that direction of travel. United need to get it right. They do need a world-class midfielder and Haaland’s goals certainly wouldn’t go amiss.
But a more considered approach simply has to be the way forward in what promises to be an absolutely off-season for the club.
