Despite Manchester United players not buying into his ways, Ralf Rangnick has been praised for the training methods that earned him an almighty reputation in Germany.
The Red Devils threw away a two-goal lead in the final 13 minutes of their match against Aston Villa at the weekend, with questions being asked of their second-half performance.
Since Rangnick’s appointment, United’s form has improved marginally but plenty are highlighting that the overall displays are not markedly better than when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in the dugout.
Reports that the United team aren’t entirely on board with the former RB Leipzig boss is worrying in terms of the attitude of player
Was Ralf Rangnick a wise appointment at Manchester United? Have your say in the comments! s and for the board given that Rangnick will move into a consultancy role at the end of the season.
But former Schalke star Tim Hoogland has provided an insight into what life is like playing under Rangnick, which could lead some to wonder why players are unhappy under the German coach.
Hoogland told The Athletic : “Rangnick had clear rules in training sessions… if you arrive in the second third of the pitch (midfield), you weren’t allowed to play the ball backwards.
“If you win the ball, the first instinct has to be to the opponent’s half, towards the opponent’s goal. Often in training, when we got the ball, we would have, let’s say, six or seven seconds to get a shot on goal. If not, the other team gets the ball.
"If you’re doing things like that in training, you will do it in a game. A lot of coaches and teams are doing something like this now, but 15, 20 years ago, it was more unusual.
“He changed the way we trained — you’re not training because you want to train, you’re training because you have a really, really clear vision of how it has to be in the game.”
The news comes just days after the Daily Mail revealed that United stars had been laughing at Rangnick because he turned up to Carrington for training on Tuesday morning when he had given them a day off.
The mistake is thought to be the ‘talk of the training ground’.
Hoogland continued: “He was always a little bit more than a coach.
“He’s a really good communicator, his knowledge is unbelievable, he has a really clear vision of how football has to be played under him. He’s half-coach, half-sporting director. They call him The Architect in Germany.”
Although the manager may have failed to completely gain the trust of his current squad, with rumours that Cristiano Ronaldo would walk away from the club if the 63-year-old became permanent boss, he may be able to bolster his reputation by acquiring new signings.
The German is expected to be well-backed this month and is keen to sign a midfielder at the very minimum, with RB Leipzig star Amadou Haidara closely linked with a move to Old Trafford having previously been purchased under Rangnick.
It remains to be seen what other talent the manager can attract to the Theatre of Dreams, and whether he will be able to guide his squad to a place in the Champions League next season and show why he is so adored in his homeland.
