Former Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has suggested Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw struggling with injuries during his time in charge had a detrimental effect on the team and 'did not make it easy' for him.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November 2021 after a string of dreadful results and Rangnick, who did not have a great deal of recent managing experience, was appointed as his temporary successor until the end of the season.
However, Rangnick failed to inspire a change of fortunes at Old Trafford and performances seemed to get worse. The disconnect between fans and players was evident and United recorded their fewest points total in a Premier League season.
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Although Rangnick originally intended to take up a consultancy role at United after his spell on the touchline, that plan was abandoned after the appointment of Erik ten Hag and the German subsequently became manager of Austria's national team.
Rangnick discussed his time at United this week and he provided insight into what exactly went wrong. He also broached the fitness of Rashford and Shaw during his tenure and he praised the club for the turnaround this season.
“Of course, it wasn’t an easy time," Rangnick told SPORT1 when asked about his interim spell. "The time to get there back then, there could have been cheaper ones. Obviously, the club has recognised the signs of the times.
"Many of the things that we discussed internally back then have now been implemented. They brought in a lot of new players. Other players who, for various reasons, were not able to perform at their best back then are now in top form again when they are fit.
“I think of Marcus Rashford. Luke Shaw is fit again at the moment and doesn’t have any major injury problems anymore. They are now a team again, so of course there were certain problems for certain reasons.
“You now have the opportunity to develop as a team again, that they end up in the top four this year. I think you can say that now. And now in the FA Cup final against City, they even have a chance to win a second title.”
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