Ralf Rangnick didn't last long at Manchester United, but the former interim manager has claimed he was able to identify issues at the club within a matter of weeks.
The former RB Leipzig manager was appointed in an interim role last November, with a view to him taking on a consultancy position at the end of the 2021-22 season. However, after a dismal end to the season, he took charge of the Austrian national side and it was later confirmed he would not be staying on at Old Trafford in any capacity.
Rangnick was not afraid to speak openly about United's problems when still at the club, and reportedly fell out with chief John Murtough before moving on. He also held a two-hour phone call with permanent successor Erik ten Hag, but has now restated the extent of the issues he was forced to deal with during his spell at the helm.
"As a coach or sports director, it's about being able to develop things and minimizing the chance factor as much as possible," Rangnick told Der Standard. "That you develop a team in a direction where you use game control and a certain type of football to create significantly more chances than you allow the opponent to have.
"It would not have taken Manchester United six months to do that. After just two weeks it was clear to me where the problems were and what would have to be done to fix them - but the question is whether you have the option of changing these things."
One of the issues facing United under Ten Hag is the future of Cristiano Ronaldo, with last season's top scorer pushing for an exit and former Netherlands boss Bert van Maarwijk urging the new boss to ditch the Portugal forward. Rangnick was asked whether - if Ronaldo were Austrian - he would call him up at international level. However, he simply responded by saying "He's not Austrian".
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"A player like Ronaldo often has a suffocating effect on a team," Van Maarwijk wrote for De Telegraaf. The comments come amid reports that members of United's dressing room celebrated when it emerged that Ronaldo would be looking to leave Old Trafford.
"Other players would have been looking at him when he joined the group after a few weeks of missing pre-season. They are curious how the new coach will react to Ronaldo's presence.
"Believe me, players talk to each other and watch what a coach does with such a player. When the coach makes hard decisions, it works liberating for the group."
The 37-year-old has mostly been used as a substitute by Ten Hag this season. Only three of his 30 league appearances last season came as a substitute, but he has already matched that tally this term and played just 26 minutes across the recent victories over Liverpool and Southampton.
