Ralf Rangnick has insisted that overhauling the style of a team will always take time - and warned Manchester United fans of more bumps in the road.
The 63-year-old was named as United’s interim boss at the end of November, after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked amid a wretched run of Premier League form.
Rangnick initially steadied the ship in terms of results since his appointment, although performances often left a great deal to be desired.
However, in recent weeks, results have also eluded the Red Devils, winning just two of their last eight matches in all competitions, including being dumped out of the FA Cup.
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Last weekend saw Rangnick’s worst day in the United dugout as they were thrashed by neighbours Manchester City 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
Braces from Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne condemned Rangnick’s side to a heavy defeat, appearing a million miles away from a team once dubbed their ‘Noisy Neighbours’.
The result piled ever more pressure on the German tactician, who looks almost certain to be replaced at the end of the campaign.
He has previously refused to rule out the possibility of him sticking around as head coach next season, despite having agreed to take on a consultancy role with the club from the summer.
However, John Murtough has suggested that a process to find a new manager is well underway, with the intention of returning United to the top of English football.
Speaking ahead of the pivotal Premier League clash with Tottenham at Old Trafford, Rangnick stated that implementing a high-pressing style was always going to be difficult and that no shows like the one seen against City are “inevitable”.
“The process of adapting to a new way of playing doesn't just run smoothly and it is inevitable there will be difficult episodes like in the second half last Sunday,” he wrote in his programme notes.
On the race for Champions League football, he added: Realistically, City, Liverpool and Chelsea are likely to occupy top 3 positions in the table when the season is over, so there is really only one qualification spot to fight for."
His comments will do little to calm concerns over the process to hire Rangnick in the first place, with his detractors including United legend Paul Scholes.
He took aim at the former RB Leipzig executive and questioned his credentials in being offered the job - even on a short-term basis.
“What do we expect? We’ve brought in an interim coach who hasn’t coached at an elite team,” he said last week.
“He hasn’t coached a big team, he hasn’t coached at a big football club like United where there’s so much expected of Manchester United.
“Whoever you’re playing against, it doesn’t matter. He’s never been at a top club. He’s coached a club for two years out of the last 10 years.
“How have United behind the scenes come to the conclusion that this man is going to be the right man for six or seven months? It baffles me. The players are lost on the football pitch.”
