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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Joseph McBride

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Man Utd methods inspire Ralf Rangnick ahead of Manchester derby

Manchester United travel to Manchester City on Sunday in what is one of their biggest tests of the season so far, and a first taste of derby action for interim boss Ralf Rangnick.

City dominated United in the reverse fixture as they won 2-0 at Old Trafford, but it could have been many more for Pep Guardiola's men who exposed the flaws in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 's side.

Solskjaer was given his marching orders just two weeks later, and Rangnick was appointed as interim boss after Michael Carrick stepped in on a temporary basis.

However, despite Solskjaer's disappointing result against City earlier in the season, Rangnick can still draw a lot of inspiration from his predecessor ahead of Sunday's derby.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer posted a flawless record away at Man City (Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Solskjaer may not have achieved silverware during his time in charge at United, but he did leave with a very respectable statistic to his name, as the Norwegian maintained a 100 per cent record at the Etihad Stadium.

United are on a run of three successive victories away at City, and Solskjaer is responsible for each of those triumphs, with Jose Mourinho losing on his final trip there as Red Devils boss before being replaced.

Solskjaer will always be regarded as a United legend despite the manner at which he left the club as head coach, but after succeeding as a player, he seemed to know how to beat his Manchester rivals in their own backyard.

Even when Solskjaer managed relegation bound Cardiff City during the 2014/15 season, he managed to walk away with an admirable 4-2 defeat against the reigning champions.

In each of his three wins against City as United manager, Solskjaer's side struck early, with only one of the five goals scored at the Etihad coming in the second half of the match.

Even the latest that his United side left it was the 50th minute, as Luke Shaw made it 2-0 against City at the end of last season after Bruno Fernandes scored inside the first 120 seconds of the game.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Can Manchester United beat Manchester City at the Etihad for a fourth consecutive game? Comment below.

Bruno Fernandes scored inside two minutes at the Etihad before Man Utd ended their win streak (Getty Images)

As Tottenham proved at the Etihad last month, early goals seem to rattle City, as Dejan Kulusevski score inside four minutes before Spurs went on to edge the game 3-2.

It's a common theme with City, and it's potentially a flaw that teams are starting to uncover, with Liverpool anxiously awaiting any sort of slip up so that they can catch the Premier League leaders.

The only other game City have lost at the Etihad this season was against Crystal Palace, and the same trend occurred as Wilfried Zaha scored inside six minutes, and Rangnick must ensure his United side are firing from the start on Sunday.

Ralf Rangnick is still yet to lose away from home as Man Utd boss (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

It's the perfect occasion for Cristiano Ronaldo to become the United hero once again, and the Portuguese star is suffering from a rare goal drought in the league.

The 37-year-old has only found the net in one of his last eight Premier League matches, and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner almost made the move to City before returning to Old Trafford.

The script is written for a statement victory for United, and also another dramatic twist in the Premier League title race, but Rangnick should consider a similar approach to Solskjaer whilst preparing for Sunday's game.

Rangnick has his own record to protect, as the German has only lost one Premier League game in charge since being appointed interim boss, and they remain unbeaten away from home in all competitions under his tenure.

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