Man Utd’s Ralf Rangnick U-turn as the Glazers grow worried with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reviews Manchester City defeat

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Manchester United once turned down the chance to work with Ralf Rangnick because he wasn’t an easy person to deal with, it has been claimed. The Red Devils have been linked with the Lokomotiv Moscow supremo amid their struggles under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this season. And with the Glazers worried about the change of mood at Old Trafford, the 48-year-old’s position is under severe threat.

United backed Solskjaer in the summer, spending big on the arrivals of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo.

They initially started the season well, winning three of their first four matches against Leeds, Wolves and Newcastle.

However, ever since losing a Champions League clash with BSC Young Boys, the Red Devils’ campaign has fallen apart.

United are currently on a run of six defeats from their last 12 matches across all competitions, something the Glazers didn’t expect when they spent millions in the summer.

And, with the club in freefall, Rangnick has been linked.

Having worked wonders at RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim in recent years, it’s easy to see why the 63-year-old is being tipped for the post.

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But BILD’s Christian Falk, speaking on Fabrizio Romano’s Twitch channel, has claimed United previously turned him down.

They supposedly had talks with Rangnick in the past, ‘a long way back’ but ultimately pulled out of negotiations because they feared the director wasn’t easy to work with.

“Manchester United would be a big dream for Ralf Rangnick,” he said.

“I heard he had talks with the board long back but the board changed his mind as he wasn’t an easy person for them to work with.

“I’m not sure if United will come back for him.”

Rangnick isn’t the only name on the table as United mull over whether to axe Solskjaer and bring in somebody else.

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Brendan Rodgers has been heavily linked, having won the FA Cup and Community Shield trophies with Leicester over the past year.

Despite his Liverpool past, the Northern-Irishman is seen as the perfect fit by sections of the United hierarchy.

But, having struggled to sign Harry Maguire from the Foxes back in the summer transfer window of 2019, luring him away from his current environment won’t be straightforward.

Likewise, Mauricio Pochettino.

The Argentine has been admired by United for a number of years, with interest dating back to his time at Southampton.

Pochettino had been expected to take over from Jose Mourinho in December 2018, especially when they hired Solskjaer on an interim basis.

But United ended up appointing the Norwegian permanently instead after he impressed in the role, particularly after a 3-1 win over PSG in France.

Pochettino is currently with the Ligue 1 titans, where he manages Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

However, there’s no indication he’d swap the Parc des Princes for Old Trafford at the current moment in time.

Other names to be linked with United include Zinedine Zidane and, to a lesser extent, Erik Ten Hag.

And what they ultimately do with Solskjaer, at a time where the Glazers are growing increasingly concerned about the mood around the club, remains to be seen.

Rio Ferdinand believes it’s time for his former team-mate to go, insisting he can walk away with his ‘head held high’.

“He’s done actually what he’s been brought in to do,” Ferdinand told his FIVE YouTube channel.

“He’s come in and given the fans hope again, made the fans want to come back and watch your team again.

“He’s done that. He has done a great job in that sense. But is he going to take us to win titles? Is he going to make us challenge to win a Champions League?

“You need the foundations that have been built to fall back on when you are lacking that confidence. When you’re thinking a five, a 10-yard ball that is normally easy becomes a difficult ball – the foundations get you through that. We (United) ain’t got that.

“The football club will be living here and breathing here longer than any individual. It’s what’s best for this football club.

“I just feel that maybe it might be time now for the baton to be handed over. Who can take us on now? And I think Ole would leave now with his head held high.”

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