American writer James Baldwin once said: "The most dangerous creation of any society is a man who has nothing to lose."
Ralf Rangnick is currently that man. The interim boss will leave his managerial position at Manchester United in just a few weeks' time and Erik ten Hag will take over at the club. Rangnick has been appointed as manager of Austria's national time and he's insisted he'll also continue to work in his consultancy role for United, although the exact specifics of that have yet to be made public.
There is a feeling that Rangnick will have little to zero influence in the role and only time will reveal the true extent of what he will be able to achieve, working with the club's board. It's still possible Rangnick could slam the door shut on his way out.
ALSO READ: Six Manchester United players should fear message from fans vs Brighton.
Rangnick's appointment was an experiment. The 52-year-old had spent the majority of the past decade working as a sporting director and he lacked recent managerial experience; however, it was hard not to be intrigued by his arrival back in November.
Rangnick had masterminded RB Leipzig's rise through the German football pyramid with a clever recruitment strategy and the club had a clear, recognisable philosophy. In other words, they had succeeded in every area in which United had been failing.
He was also articulate when he spoke on the tactical side of the game. Rangnick seemed like an antidote to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who relished man-managing his players as opposed to tactical duels with other managers, and they appeared like polar opposites.
Those differences extended to press conferences. Solskjaer was famously skilled at speaking without actually saying much and his press conferences were hardly box office during his tenure, despite the fires he was regularly fighting. Rangnick was only ever hired on a temporary basis and that put him in a different situation to Solskjaer. He's been able to say what he really thinks.
Rangnick wasn't afraid to answer honestly on Anthony Martial when he was absent from United's squad against Aston Villa, for example. Solskjaer had form for protecting his players in such circumstances and he would have handled that differently.
Rangnick has hopelessly failed as interim manager but there is an appreciation for the German among United fans for the pathetic and gutless squad he's been tasked with overseeing. They also respect him for beginning to say what he really thinks.
The interim boss has been increasingly honest in recent weeks. He hasn't hidden from questions on players' poor form, social media posts by players' family members or United's transfer strategy. Journalists at his pre-match press conference ahead of the weekend were given the perfect headline when Rangnick revealed his suggestions for new signings in January had been ignored.
Rangnick has just one game left in charge of United and that fixture on the final day of the season, against Crystal Palace, is two weeks away. He's now got nothing to lose and there's a possibility he could hang some players out to dry in public before he heads for the exit.
Rangnick's future consultancy remit is vague and it seems he has absolutely nothing to lose. That makes him dangerous and t he Glazers' worst nightmare. United like to exercise a degree of control over the narrative but Rangnick might be tempted to shred their rulebook.
You wouldn't blame him for having a brutal outburst about the rotten dressing room that he's been unfortunate to manage over the past six months before he leaves the club. That would be some retaliation to the players that have let United down.
United fans admire Rangnick for his honesty and they'd love nothing more than for him to slam the door on his way out.
This season has been unacceptable and Rangnick shouldn't pull any punches before he packs his bag.
Sign up to our United newsletter so you never miss an update from Old Trafford this season.
