Ralf Rangnick believes Manchester United have to start a major rebuild this summer if they want to become competitive again.
The interim boss watched on as his side fell to a 4-0 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield, which leaves them sixth in the table and extremely likely to miss out on Champions League football next season.
Rangnick is expected to be replaced at the end of the season, with Erik ten Hag the favourite to come in, and the German insisted United can start competiting at the top of the Premier League again as long as the recruitment is good.
“Liverpool only needed two or three transfers until they had a competitive team,” Rangnick said.
“If you know what you’re looking for, it doesn’t have to take four or five years. They did it, when Jurgen came they finished eighth.
“You have to do it and it has to start this summer.”
It was another chastening night for United, who were dreadful in the first 45 minutes at Anfield and only slightly improved for a 20-minute spell after the break.
The visitors set up with a back five and it did very little to slow Liverpool’s progress, though Rangnick insisted the problem was not the system but the decisions made on the pitch.
“Especially the first-half, we were just not up to it,” Rangnick said.
“The first goal after six minutes, that was not part of the game plan to be that high up and try to press. We had all the players on the halfway line and they are one of the best counter-attacking teams in the league.
“Our left side was completely open and it was an easy tap-in.
“The first-half we were nowhere. We had a backline, we could have had a backline of six or seven, if you don’t try to win second balls, not even to speak of first balls. We were second best in all relevant areas. That was just not good enough.”
He added: “They showed what kind of calibre they are. Right now we are not up to it, we are not good enough to get points against Liverpool.
“They are one of the best teams in the world right now, we are far away from it.”
