Former Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick has renewed his criticism of the club’s leadership in the years after Sir Alex Ferguson left the club.
Rangnick was interim boss of United between December 2021 and May 2022, with the German presiding over 11 wins, nine draws and nine defeats during an underwhelming spell in charge.
Although United have won trophies such as the FA Cup and the League Cup in recent years, the overall trajectory of the club has been hugely concerning for supporters.
Last season United, now managed by Ruben Amorim, finished in 15th place in the Premier League and were beaten by Tottenham in the Europa League final.
United have tried various different approaches since the departure of legendary boss Ferguson in 2013, who had led the club to 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League triumphs.
The Red Devils have struggled to find the right formula since, especially under the guidance of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS.
Upon leaving the club in May 2022, Rangnick had claimed Manchester United needed ‘open heart surgery’ in order to return to their former glories.
Rangick, now the manager of the Austrian national team, insisted that the club has a ‘leadership problem’.
‘I think we have to go back to 2013, when Sir Alex left the club. And at the time he was still there, he was the mastermind behind it all. He probably also brought a lot of important people to the club,’ Rangnick told Sport.
‘And the moment he left, some of those people probably left the club as well. And, since then, I think they have a leadership problem.
‘Who’s really making the decisions and why are they making them? Are they really the best people for the job? I can only tell you that the six months I was there, it was difficult to say, even for me as head coach.
‘Who were the decision-makers? Who? Who could I talk to? If we wanted to sign new players, it was difficult. There were people, but in the end, it was difficult.’
United have various high-profile officials including Ineos’ director of sport Dave Brailsford and technical director Jason Wilcox.
Rangnick, who is now the coach of the Austria national team, stated that clubs should look to invest in talented young players as opposed to those who are aged between 28 and 30.
The comments from Rangnick appear to be a thinly-veiled dig at Casemiro, who United signed from Real Madrid at the age of 30 in the summer of 2022 for £60million plus £10million in add-ons.
‘If I were the owner or sporting director of a club, I would only try to sign and invest in young players. Because no matter how you look at it, it only makes sense,’ Rangnick added.
‘Does it make sense to spend 30, 40, 50 million on a 28-or 30-year-old signing? Not really.
‘Let’s calculate it. You sign a 28 or 30-year-old with a five-year contract. You spend 50 million more on the transfer fee, an average of 15 million euros per year multiplied by five. That’s 65 million plus the 50 million transfer fee equals 115 million, plus the agents’ fees. The whole operation costs you around 130 million.’
Casemiro remains at United and has made 125 appearances for the club.
United have spent over £600million on transfers since Rangnick’s departure but some of those deals certainly haven’t worked out as expected.
