Ralf Rangnick has given his verdict on what Manchester United must do next in their search for a new manager.
The German coach took over on an interim basis until the end of the season after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November.
But it has not gone exactly to plan since the arrival of the former RB Leipzig boss who has had to contend with an unhappy squad.
Rangnick had been in the frame to take over on a permanent basis at the start of his tenure but those talks have been muted since a poor stretch of form.
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However, he will walk into a consultancy role for the next two years at Old Trafford - though his own comments put that at risk.
The 63-year-old has told United that they must copy their Premier League rivals Manchester City in their pursuit of a new coach.
He explained that the Red Devils must discover a “corporate identity”, though that could leave his own future unclear.
With a new manager coming in to the club, what kind of role will they play in the transfer window and what duties will be made obsolete for the current boss?
Ahead of the Manchester derby, Rangnick said: “They have very clear identity, how they want to play.
"I know Jurgen in person and I know Pep from his time in Germany managing Bayern Munich; he also has a clear idea how he wants to play.
“This is the secret behind their success: they know exactly how they want to play, a corporate identity. Not just for new players but for staff members too.
“This is what all the top clubs have in common. This is something that needs to be developed at Manchester United.”
United have a mixed-up squad with players signed from a variety of different managers with very different styles.
Of the current usual starting XI, millions have been ploughed into a team that has footprints from Solskjaer, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and even Sir Alex Ferguson.
Pep Guardiola has been in charge of City since 2016 but has overseen large changes to the squad and has been sure to bring in who he wants.
And it has worked wonders - the Etihad outfit are the dominant force in English football and are on course for a fourth Premier League title in five years.
It is the sort of stranglehold on the top-tier that United enjoyed for many years under Ferguson - who was a pillar of the club after over two decades at the helm.
Rangnick’s comments were supposed to tell his current employers that they must find a return to this kind of model rather than hiring and firing, especially in terms of recruitment.
But that would leave his own job in a consultancy role being questioned as if United do find their very own Guardiola, that would make his part to play at Old Trafford redundant.
