Ralf Rangnick has suggested Liverpool is the ideal model for Manchester United to follow if they are to become a credible force again.
Since Jurgen Klopp's appointment in October 2015, Liverpool have reached six finals, winning the Champions League in 2019 and the League Cup this year, as well as ending a 30-year wait for the championship in 2020.
Klopp has six players who were recruited under Rangnick's watch at his former clubs in Germany and Austria and the interim United manager lauded Klopp's squad management during his time at Anfield, where United are due on Tuesday night.
READ MORE: United give team news vs Liverpool
"I didn't say how much influence I had on those players but it's pretty obvious a big club like Liverpool, one of the best clubs in Europe in the last couple of years, they have six former players: Schalke, Hoffenheim, Salzburg and Leipzig," Rangnick explained. "It's probably the highest number of players that nobody knew by the time we gave them debuts.
"This obviously has got to do with a similar idea of football. Jurgen and I have known each other for a long time, I know how he wants to play and having six players that used to play for former clubs of mine is not a coincidence.
"The same happened at other clubs. When he came to Borussia Dortmund or when he started his coaching career at Mainz, he developed all of those clubs, he raised the whole team and club to a different kind of level. This is what modern management is all about. He's one of the best, if not the best coach, not only now but in the past couple of years.
"If this should be a role model, I don't know. It's definitely no coincidence what's happened there in the last six years. In his first year, when he came during the season after eight or nine games and they finished eighth, and thereafter they just made the necessary adaptations. They brought in the right players, they got rid of the right players, they just built, they really built a squad and that's why they are where they are."
United trail Liverpool by 19 points as they prepare to visit Anfield almost six months on from the 5-0 thrashing they suffered against Klopp's side at Old Trafford. United have won four of their last 13 games and Liverpool's only defeat this calendar year was to Inter Milan in the second leg of the Champions League round-of-16.
Raphael Varane, Scott McTominay and Fred are all expected to miss out again, effectively forcing Rangnick to start Nemanja Matic. Although many are wondering how many United will lose by, Rangnick is still optimistic United can pull off a shock result.
"It's up to us," he stressed. "We definitely will travel there tomorrow and try to get the three points, this is what it's all about, it's about our situation. After last weekend's results. we are still in the race for fourth but to stay in it we have to win almost every game, starting with tomorrow.
"We might be the underdogs for most people but we know if we raise our level and play a tip performance ourselves we have a chance and this will be our ambition and goal for tomorrow."
Rangnick declined to set a timeframe on the expected announcement of Erik ten Hag as United's next manager: "I don't know, this is an issue for the club, the board and as soon as there is something to announce the club will make that announcement. It doesn't affect our preparations for tomorrow."
