MY ACCOUNT
Erik ten Hag said Ralf Rangnick’s continued working relationship with Manchester United is a matter for the club, while saying now is the time to “make a future”.
Rangnick stepped in as interim boss when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked back in November, with the initial intention being he would move into an advisory role at the end of the season.
United’s performances and squad harmony came under a lot of scrutiny under Rangnick, but he insisted he would remain as a consultant even when being named as Austria head coach earlier this month.
Ten Hag is the man United, who finished sixth in the Premier League, tasked with bringing the good times back to Old Trafford and he said regardless of whether Rangnick continues to work with the club the key decisions will be his.
“I analyse by myself. I observe and I speak with a lot of people. But I will draw my own line,” he said at a media conference on Monday.
“That [if Rangnick stays] is for the club.”
United have failed to win a trophy since 2017, while they last won the Premier League title in Alex Ferguson’s last season in charge in the 2012-13 campaign.
The Red Devils recorded their lowest ever points tally in the competition, while rumblings that all is not well among the playing squad have been present throughout a tumultuous campaign.
Ten Hag is leaving a job where he has delivered three Eredivisie titles and overseen a run to the Champions League semi-finals back in the 2018-19 season.
But the Dutchman does not believe he is taking a risk by making the move to Old Trafford.
“The confidence is that I have a good feeling with the people around, I have a good feeling from the meetings. We have a plan and now it’s about getting the plan done,” he added.
“What we are thinking about is this is a project, I know it takes time, but I also know that in this club, and I have the experience with other clubs like Ajax and Bayern Munich, at the top there’s never time. But we want to win, we want every game, so we go from game to game and then we will see.
“I don’t see it as a risk. This club has a great history and now let’s make a future. It is really exciting to do that with the people around at the club, we will bring new people into the staff, and work with the players to try and achieve success.”
United finished 35 points adrift of champions and rivals Manchester City this season and Ten Hag is focused on building rather than making ambitious claims to challenge for the title.
“I don’t think about that at this moment. I’m thinking that this is a project and it takes time,” he said.
“We want to win every game. We go from game to game and then we’ll see.
“It’s a fantastic league. I’ve already met big coaches and big teams in the Premier League and I know how to deal with that. But it’s clear, the Premier League is the biggest league in the world I think and I’m looking forward to battling with them.”
