Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Man United: Gabriel Agbonlahor calls for Ralf Rangnick exit
Former Premier League striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has delivered a damning assessment of the role of previous Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick.
The lowdown: False dawn
Appointed as interim manager last November following the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from the Old Trafford hot seat, Rangnick was tasked with the job of resurrecting the 2021/22 campaign.
Instead, the Red Devils slipped further down the Premier League table as the experienced German coach was unable to address the key issues facing the squad.
Despite the ongoing on-field struggles and being named Austria national team boss recently, the 63-year-old is expected to carry on in a pre-agreed consultancy role at United, with Erik ten Hag taking over as manager.
The latest: Rangnick told to ‘just go’
Speaking to Football Insider, regular talkSPORT pundit Agbonlahor urged United to part ways with Rangnick after what has been an unsuccessful spell at Old Trafford.
The former Aston Villa striker said: “Ten Hag will want Rangnick to just go. If I was Ten Hag I would tell Rangnick to go and say ‘I’ll do this myself. You’ve done nothing since you’ve come in, I want to start fresh with my own staff’. I don’t think he needs Rangnick there at all.
“It doesn’t make sense for him to still be there anyway with him taking the Austria job. He should be gone.”
How many signings do Man Utd need to make this summer?
0-4
5-8
9+
The verdict: He’s right
At the time of Rangnick’s appointment, the decision to bring him in with a view to staying on appeared to be a sensible stop-gap option, with the 63-year-old boasting an impressive coaching CV.
However, it simply hasn’t worked out, winning just 11 of his 28 matches in charge; and after Ten Hag remained coy on the role of the German when admitting that he will ‘analyse’ the situation by himself upon arriving at Old Trafford, it may well be time for the club to cut ties with the former RB Leipzig boss.
Furthermore, Rangnick has already accepted another role with Austria and will likely be unable to commit to the Red Devils fully as the club attempts to undergo a much-needed root-and-branch overhaul, so we think Agbonlahor is right to call for the German’s exit from United altogether.
In other news: Man Utd and Ten Hag launch ‘important offer’ to sign ‘the future’ of football along with De Jong
