United officially announced on Monday that 63-year-old German Ralph Rangnick has been officially named interim manager for the season and will lead the team until the end of the season. Rangnick will earn £7.6 million a year, twice as much as he earned at Lokomotiv Moscow and a million dollars if he makes it to the Champions League. For the next two years, Rangnick will take on an advisory role. But Rangnick is temporarily unable to take office, and he needs to get a work visa first.
Ras Konitka, a video analyst trusted by Rangnick, is expected to follow him from Lokomotiv Moscow to Old Trafford, and he may also bring a teaching assistant. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's coaching staff, including Carrick, Kierang McKenna and Mike Ferran, is expected to remain in the team for the time being.
'I'm excited to join Manchester United and I'm focused on achieving success this season.' Rangnick said: "United have a lot of talent in their squad and a balanced proportion of young players and veterans. Over the next 6 months, I will try to help these players reach their potential, not only individually, but more importantly, the team as a whole. After that, I look forward to working as a consultant to support the club in achieving its long-term goals."
Rangnick is the sixth German manager in Premier League history, and two of the top five managers in league history are Germans, liverpool's Klopp (62.7%) and Chelsea's Tuchel (62.5%). United are sure to hope that Rangnick will have a similar achievement.
But United's greater expectations for Rangnick lie in the management role after next summer. The club's current football director, Johann Murtaugh, visited Leipzig in 2019 and learned from Rangnick, so Murtaugh's recommendation in this coaching process is said to be key. Not only that, although Rangnick has never been a coach outside of Germany, he studied in England in the seventies and eighties, spoke English fluently, and Manchester United believed that he was capable enough to lead the team to success in the second half of the season.
But Rangnick's United debut could face bigger hurdles than originally envisioned. Britain's "Daily Mail" revealed that the Red Devils are worried that he will not be able to lead the team to Arsenal on Thursday, and it is afraid that it will not be possible to appear at Old Trafford until the battle with Crystal Palace in 3 days. That's because of a combination of labour certifications, registration procedures and the new coronavirus rules, and The United coaching staff received word on Monday that Lannick was unlikely to take the helm before this weekend.
Manchester United staff said: "We are calmly and carefully applying for a visa for Ralph (Rangnick) in accordance with all relevant regulations and agreements. These are all procedures that must be followed and we are getting the job done as quickly as possible."
Rangnick's work visa has not yet been approved, and since the early hours of Tuesday, the Uk has imposed stricter rules on inbound travelers because of south Africa's coronavirus mutation "Omi Kerong", and he may also have to be quarantined for observation.
According to the British "Daily Telegraph" report, UEFA is understanding the relevant rules, if after playing in England, the opponent needs to be isolated for 10 days, then The first Champions League game after Rangnick's coaching , the home battle against the bernese youth, may be changed to the middle position.
This question also reflects once again how unwise It was for United to wait until after the international match in November to rush to get Ole Gunnar Solskjaer off. United said in a statement: "Carrick will continue to lead the first team until Ralph's work visa is finalised."