Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick only believes that there are two players in his squad that have the mentality to ‘raise their performances’ after conceding a goal.
The Red Devils were humiliatingly beaten 4-1 by rivals Manchester City on Sunday in a match that highlighted the gulf in class between the two sides.
After Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring for City after five minutes, Jadon Sancho equalised with a curling effort on the 22-minute mark.
However, De Bruyne grabbed his second goal of the game just six minutes later and the Red Devils self-destructed in the second half.
A brace from Riyad Mahrez put the icing on the cake for Pep Guardiola’s men and raised serious questions over the mentality of the United squad who appeared to throw in the towel after going two goals behind.
ESPN have revealed that Rangnick feels his squad cannot ‘overcome adversity’ and feels that only Scott McTominay and Luke Shaw are the only two players who step up when United concede.
The Old Trafford outfit have drawn five games under Rangnick in which they previously had the lead, which is a serious cause for concern for the German and his staff, as well as the team’s ability and desire to bounce back after falling behind.
United hired their first-ever sports psychologist in December, Sascha Lense, after Rangnick identified a mentality issue in his squad shortly after his appointment, but the new member of the staff has obviously been unable to influence the bulk of players.
Speaking after the game, former United captain Roy Keane was quick to stress how Ranginck’s men ‘gave up’, he told Sky Sports: We saw all of United’s shortcomings today, the way United lost the game today.
"They stopped running, no running back, it’s really unacceptable when you play for Man United and I think they threw in the towel.
“The worst thing you can say about United is that they gave up. For a player in a derby – or any game – to give up is unforgivable really.”
The former Sunderland manager continued: “I’d forgive mistakes but you’ve got to run back. I look at five or six players and I think, ‘You should never play for Manchester United again’.
“It’s shameful, shameful that you can’t run back and put your body on the line.”
Questions have been raised over the captaincy of Harry Maguire at United previously and whether the former Leicester City defender is capable of being the leader that the team need.
The England international has struggled to adjust to the tactics of Rangnick and his biggest weaknesses appear to be being exposed by the high-pressing system, severely knocking his confidence.
It remains to be seen whether Rangnick is able to solve the mentality issues at the Theatre of Dreams before he moves into a consultancy role at the club at the end of the season, or whether it will be another point added to the list that the former RB Leipzig boss passes on to his successor.
