Manchester United's hierarchy have been 'left angered' by Ralf Rangnick describing the club as being stuck 'six years' behind Liverpool.
The Red Devils were picked apart on Tuesday evening at Anfield, outclassed in every department as Jurgen Klopp's side ran riot on home soil. Goals from Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah (2) and Sadio Mane condemned the visitors to another heavy defeat at the hands of Liverpool, having already handed out a 5-0 beating at Old Trafford back in October.
Defeat on Merseyside dealt United another blow in their pursuit of a top-four finish, leaving them three points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur having played one game more than the Lilywhites. The interim appointment of the German has not had its intended impact, with United failing to kick on following the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
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Pulling no punches with his assessment of the current group of players representing the Red Devils, Rangnick pointed to the success of Liverpool as a reminder of the gulf in class that exists between the two teams. Such comments 'did not go down well at the club', however, with the Telegraph claiming United believe that fortunes can be changed much quicker than that.
Speaking after Tuesday's loss, the former RB Leipzig boss said: "It’s embarrassing, it’s completely disappointing and also humiliating, but we’ve got to accept that they’re six years ahead of us. When you compare that squad that Liverpool has with the one that Jurgen inherited when he came six years ago I think at the end of his first season they finished eighth.
"They had a point average of 1.6. This is roughly where we are right now with our current team so this team needs to be rebuilt. It's clear and a game like today showed that even in a very drastic way that this rebuild is necessary."
Whether or not United are able to bring about a change in fortunes remains to be seen, though one certainty is that Rangnick will not be the man to kick-start a new era at the club this summer with an overhaul of the squad expected.
Erik ten Hag was today confirmed as the next permanent boss and will officially take charge of the team at the end of the current campaign.
