Ralf Rangnick has revealed he pushed Manchester United to sign as many as six players during the January transfer window.
The German moved to Old Trafford in November for a short stint as the club’s interim manager following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and was slated to continue as a consultant for a further two years.
An important figure in building the Red Bull empire, Rangnick was initially seen as having the right profile to get United back on their feet.
The experiment, however, did not work and Rangnick left the club entirely to take over as manager of the Austrian national team after less than seven months.
Throughout his time at United, Rangnick frequently called for a major rebuild of the team as the post-Sir Alex Ferguson problems continued.
Still, having failed to convince in the dugout, the only transfer window he oversaw in Manchester went without the club making any signings.
For his part, Rangnick has claimed he was keen to sign some big name stars at the turn of the year.
Speaking to BILD, the 64-year-old said: “It was clear to everyone that there was a need in many areas.
“That’s why we were already discussing players like Josko Gvardiol and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig. Those were names that were realistic.
“We also talked about Alvaro Morata, Luis Diaz, Dusan Vlahovic and, as I said, Haaland when they were still on the market.
“But the club decided at that time to rebuild the team under the new coach.”
