Ralf Rangnick has been let down by the mentality of his Manchester United players during his time as interim manager, according to Roy Keane.
Heading into the game against Chelsea on Thursday, Rangnick has won just 10 of his 25 matches in charge of United since taking over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November. Rangnick’s time in charge has been a huge disappointment, with the German unable to implement his high-tempo pressing tactics.
Under his leadership, United crashed out of the FA Cup in the fourth round against Middlesbrough and were knocked out of the Champions League in the last-16 by Atletico Madrid. They are sixth in the Premier League and face the very real possibility of missing out on the Champions League next season, when Erik ten Hag will be in charge.
Despite signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane in the summer, United are certain to end a fifth straight season without any silverware. That is a situation which would be unthinkable during Keane’s time as a player at the club and the former midfielder has given an honest assessment of their plight.
“If you are not turning up and not performing, of course you are going to get criticised, but you would rather have the pressure of playing for Manchester United than playing for a team at the bottom of the Premier League,” he said on Sky Sports’ coverage of the Chelsea game. “But we have heard all this stuff before with the interviews from the players, it is like a broken record.
“Even the starting XI for Manchester United, it is not a good team, it is not good enough to be competing at the top in terms of technique, certainly the biggest let down over the past couple of months has been their mentality.”
HAVE YOUR SAY! What is your assessment of Ralf Rangnick's time in charge at Manchester United? Comment below.
Ten Hag will take over the reins at Old Trafford in July after concluding his work with Ajax. The Dutchman will arrive in Manchester with a reputation for playing attractive, progressive football with a focus on young players, but with a huge rebuilding job on his hands.
Keane is in favour of the appointment, which saw Ten Hag beat the likes of Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino to the role. “I think it is a good appointment, with all the speculation it has been on the cards for the last few months and I think the club will be glad just to get the deal done,” he said.
“He can start looking at the club, albeit from the background because he does not start until July. He has got a solid CV, a good reputation but the proof is in the pudding and we will see what he is like when he is in job and whether he can get Manchester United back to where they need to be.”
