Care va fi rolul lui Ralf Rangnick la Manchester United în sezonul următor?

For many, Manchester United’s decision to hire Ralf Rangnick as the club’s interim manager after the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was proof that a new direction was being taken at Old Trafford. The 63-year-old hadn’t been a full time coach at senior level for a number of years, but his reputation as a backroom builder was of the highest standard.

Indeed, Rangnick had played a central role in building the Red Bull soccer empire with his fingerprints all over RB Leipzig, now one of the best teams in the Bundesliga. Rangnick might not be an elite level manager, but he knows how to forge a club for the modern era. Manchester United certainly need a figure like that.

This is why there was so much expectation around Rangnick as United’s interim boss with the 63-year-old also signed to a consultancy role for the next two years. Few expected him to forge a winning team within just a few months, but this period until the end of the season was meant to give the German an intricate understanding of the squad and stand him in good stead for a rebuild to start this summer.

Now, though, there is uncertainty over Rangnick’s position at Old Trafford. For weeks, the German has remained coy on whether or not he will still be at Manchester United in the previously planned consultancy role beyond the end of the season. There was no suggestion that his views guided the permanent appointment of Erik ten Hag, who will arrive this summer.

Recent reports claim Rangnick might even accept an offer to become Austria’s new national team manager. It’s unclear what this would mean for the 63-year-old’s interim manager job and his role as a consultant beyond the end of the season – would Manchester United allow him to perform two jobs at the same time?

As an interim manager, Rangnick has told more than a few hard truths. The Manchester United hierarchy might not have liked hearing them, but the German was brought in to assess the inner workings of the Old Trafford club and that is what he has done. Everyone knows United are in a mess. Rangnick has only articulated this.

Part of the problem for Rangnick at Manchester United has been the lack of definition around his role. It was reported that the 63-year-old would become a consultant after the end of his interim job as manager, but who will he report to? Who will have the ultimate control of the soccer department at the club?

John Murtough was named United’s first football director last year with former midfielder Darren Fletcher also named technical director. Where was Rangnick meant to fit into a structure that had seemingly been built without him in mind? On top of this, former Tottenham Hotspur transfer guru Paul Mitchell has also been mentioned as a potential hire – how would Manchester United fit Murtough, Fletcher, Mitchell as well as Rangnick into their front office?

Had Rangnick been integrated into Manchester United’s staff at the executive and sporting level, his experience in the sport surely would have proved invaluable. Instead, it appears the German has been ostracised and wasted. He certainly isn’t the first figure whose talent has been wasted at Old Trafford over the last nine years.