The four stars Rangnick told Man Utd to sign

Karan Tejwani
Karan Tejwani
  • 9 Aug 2022 14:56 BST
  • 3 min read
Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick
© ProShots

Ralf Rangnick left Manchester United at the end of last season after a spell that saw poor results, and plenty of press conferences where he often criticized the club’s transfer strategy.

The German struggled to do well with a dysfunctional Manchester United team, having been employed on an interim coaching basis with a view towards giving him an advisory role at the end of it.

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That didn’t happen, as Rangnick went on to manage the Austrian national team, leaving Manchester United altogether, but he had some advice before going.

He previously spoke about transfer targets when he was at the club, and even suggested some names United should look at in the summer and while he was in charge.

Rangnick had names in mind

Rangnick had four names in particular that he thought Manchester United should be looking at, including a few he had close connections with in the past.

Two of the players currently play at RB Leipzig – defender Josko Gvardiol and midfielder Konrad Laimer – both of whom have been linked with moves to other clubs this summer.

Gvardiol joined Leipzig from Dinamo Zagreb having been scouted as a youngster, while Laimer has gone through the Red Bull systems at both Salzburg and Leipzig.

The other two players are now at Manchester City – Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez – both of whom signed for the English champions this summer.

Rangnick was aware that signing Haaland would be difficult as the Norwegian paid attention to the project he was signing for, making Manchester City the most appealing one.

While Alvarez was being scouted for several months before and the German even pushed for a move, only for City to take the chance first and get their man.

Other suggestions made by Rangnick included Christopher Nkunku, but he signed an extension to stay at Leipzig early in the summer.

It’s clear to see why Rangnick was so frustrated at Manchester United – his ideas were rarely met with a response, and he was gone sooner than expected.

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