Despite the club’s terrible form, Manchester United football director John Murtough has explained why the removal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took so long.
The great Norwegian recently said his goodbyes to the club in style, opting for one final interview to thank the fans and wish the club well in the future.
Ralf Rangnick has a big job on his shoulders as he tries to navigate through a Covid problem while also dealing with various players whose futures are uncertain. At the moment, Paul Pogba is the most prominent figure at this moment, as his contract expires next summer and he will be free to negotiate with other clubs as early as next month.
The agent for Anthony Martial was also busy announcing his wish to depart in January, while Edinson Cavani has had significant ties to Barcelona. Jesse Lingard’s contract expires next summer, and Juan Mata and Phil Jones are both thought to be looking for new opportunities.
As reported by The Telegraph, he said:
“Out of respect for Ole, we did not approach other managers before he left. Our plan then was to appoint an experienced interim manager. Ralf was our clear first choice. He’s someone I have admired for a long time, we’re delighted he’s here.”
“By bringing in Ralf we can now take time to run a thorough process for our next permanent manager. Recruiting a manager is one of the most important decisions a football club makes so we want to do it in a careful and considered fashion.”
“As a club, we felt Ole had earned the right to be given the chance to turn things around, but didn’t get a reaction after the international break. The Watford game made it clear change was needed.”
“We’re all disappointed at Ole’s departure but he deserves to be judged on his record over the past three years not his last few weeks. He secured our first back-to-back top-three finishes since Sir Alex retired and was close to winning silverware. He re-set the club’s culture.”
Donny van de Beek, Eric Bailly, and Dean Henderson are all unhappy with their current situation at United and will either seek assurances or try to leave.
Rangnick must also provide results, as a top-four finish will be considered the only acceptable season finish.
