Since the arrival of Ralf Rangnick at Old Trafford, things have changed. The performances on the pitch haven't precisely been vintage Manchester United but have certainly improved under the new stewardship. But it's not only on the pitch that Rangnick is impacting.
As we've seen in his short time as United boss, with both Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard, he has not been one to shy away from being honest in interviews. Rangnick has been the subject of some criticism from fans and the media after saying Lingard asked for some time off, with the player taking to social media saying it was the club who advised him to take time off.
Many have shared their opinion on this, but as fans, we should side with Rangnick. Too often in the past with United managers, we've seen two completely different ends of the spectrum. With Jose Mourinho, his calling out of certain players, in the end, became too much, and it felt as if his criticism of players began to feel unnecessary.
Fast forward to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tenure, and it felt as if the players would get away with murder. After 6-1 hammering against Tottenham Hotspur, the 5-0 mauling to Liverpool, and the death by a thousand passes 2-0 defeat to Man City; you'd think the players would be put under rightful and heavy criticism.
But Solskjaer did not utter a single word on his players' disgraceful performances. Some would call it protection of the players; others would call it blind loyalty. I'm going with the latter.
Rangnick has never been unnecessarily critical, nor has he protected his players when performances have been poor and deserve to be called out. The German has struck the perfect balance, and this no-filter approach is refreshing and exactly what United need in more ways than one.
Rangnick has already shown a balance between the two extreme United managers that came before him even on the pitch. Under Mourinho, it was incredibly defensive, which led to the annoyance of many United fans who were used to seeing attacking football. With Solskjaer, it's a genuine struggle even to develop a detailed answer to what exactly his footballing philosophy was.
With Rangnick, his teams are tight but not too defensively focused, and although there are tactics, his football ideology allows forwards to express themselves. There is no element of extremeness to Rangnick, and slowly but surely, he is improving all areas of United.
Rangnick is a straight-talking footballing brain that has no time for off-the-field antics or politics and is solely focused on improving the club's state. United have not had someone like this in the club since Sir Alex Ferguson. Now, this does not mean Rangnick will have the impact Sir Alex did by any stretch of the imagination, but the club has been starved of a football-focused presence.
It's been a difficult period for United fans since Sir Alex retired. Still, with Rangnick set to remain at the club beyond this season in a consultancy role, this could finally be the green shoots of recovery the fans have been so desperate to see.
What do you think of Rangnick? Follow our United on My Mind trends writer Anil Kandola on Twitter to join the debate and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
