Ralf Rangnick having a “clean break” from Manchester United could be best for all parties, according to Red Devils legend Roy Keane.
The 63-year-old was hired as interim boss at the end of last year, tasked with guiding a beleaguered United squad until the end of the season. His remit was to ensure the new manager came into the best possible situation - and a place in next season’s Champions League.
But after getting his stint off to a positive start, results have nosedived and last weekend’s defeat at Arsenal all but extinguished any lingering hopes of a top-four finish. Last week it was confirmed that Ajax boss Erik ten Hag will be Rangnick’s long-term replacement, signing a three-year deal which begins at the start of pre-season.
As for the experienced German tactician, he has been offered a two-year consultancy role at Old Trafford, but recent reports have claimed that he is ready to turn that down in order to take the Austrian national team job.
The OFB are on the lookout for a new head coach after Franco Foda retired earlier this year and the Daily Mail have reported that Rangnick is considering an offer to replace him. That’s despite Rangnick, speaking earlier this week, that he was looking forward to working alongside Ten Hag in the weeks to come.
“I strongly believe that there is a lot of things that can become better and will become better with a new manager and hopefully with some new players, with some fresh energy in that squad," he declared.
"With this group of new players and the quality of players that are already here, together with the new manager, I am very positive that next season will be a lot better. I am looking forward to working in that advisory role and obviously helping Erik as much as he wants it himself.”
But Keane thinks that the opportunity to leave United completely should be seriously considered and warned him that stepping away from management could harm his standing within the game.
“It’s been a difficult few months for him and I think if he goes upstairs people can almost tarnish his reputation because it’s been difficult, he’s not won enough games,” Keane said. “So I think a clean break for the new coach coming in, might not be a bad thing.”
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Following Thursday night’s game with Chelsea, Rangnick will oversee a further three matches as United bring the curtain down on a miserably unsuccessful season. And Rangnick has admitted he isn’t happy with the job he’s done, particularly when it comes to his side’s work in defensive areas.
“I’m not happy with the number of points or the way that we have defended,” he explained to TV2. “We concede too many goals, the way we defend around our box is just not good enough and we could easily have another six, eight or 10 points more, but we don’t and that’s why I’m not happy with what we have achieved.”
