Rangnick was meant to remain at United in a consultancy
capacity following the appointment of Erik ten Hag as manager this summer. He
was due to work six days a month for the next two years overseeing the club’s
progress.
But following a conversation with the board following the
end-of-season defeat to Crystal Palace, Rangnick and the club had agreed to
scrap that arrangement.
“We would like to thank Ralf Rangnick for his efforts as
interim manager over the past six months,” a United statement read. “By mutual
agreement, Ralf will now focus solely on his new role as manager of the Austria
national team and will not therefore be taking up a consultancy role at Old
Trafford.
“We would like to wish Ralf the best of luck in this next
chapter of his career.”
Rangnick confirmed his exit at an Austria national team
press conference on Sunday, saying: “We have come to the conclusion that it is
better for me and the club to concentrate fully on the Austrian national team.
“I cancelled the consultancy contract.”
Rangnick leaves Old Trafford after a disappointing tenure as
interim manager, during which time he was been vocal about the changes he
believes are required at the club.
He joined as something of a temporary saviour in the wake of
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking last autumn. But Rangnick’s commitment was questioned
by some supporters following the announcement he intended to combine his club
consultancy next season with managing Austria.
A reputation tarnished?
Rangnick was meant to revive United’s crumbling season. When
he arrived at the club back in late November, the objective was clear: steady
the ship and navigate towards a top-four finish.
And he was generally well accepted. An astute “student” of
the game, they said, who had a wonderful football philosophy that had helped RB
Leipzig compete in the Bundesliga.
But the stability United’s hierarchy craved never really
come to fruition. The scale of the task at hand was laid bare in his first
Champions League match in charge of the Red Devils, when an impish Young Boys
side had the better of a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
A month later and the home defeat to Wolves proved another
backwards step just as Rangnick thought he was making progress. By February the
interim boss was blaming his players for their inability to convert chances.
Two months later and the finger was pointed at their apparent lack of effort.
If fans thought the United players had downed tools in
Solskjaer’s final weeks in charge, then what must they have thought of the
final two games of the season – a disastrous 4-0 loss at Brighton followed by
the 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.
Rangnick won just three of his last 14 games in charge of
United – and one of those was a needlessly tense 3-2 victory over rock-bottom
Norwich.
It was this run that exposed the tensions between the clubs
new figurehead and its players. Having failed to deliver in the dugout, what
chance was there realistically that Rangnick would hold any authority behind
the scenes?
It is understood that the Austria job caught United by
surprise. Announcing it with three games still to go in the season suggested
the 63-year-old was already looking for his first opportunity to jump ship.
Whether that’s a sinking ship with Ten Hag at the helm
remains to be seen. But there are structural fissures that run deep through
United that Rangnick was meant to help fix. Instead, he leaves the club worse
off than when he found it, a squad low on confidence, and a new manager exposed
to the magnifying glass that comes with the job.