Ralf Rangnick has been appointed as the interim manager of Manchester United till the end of the season although it might still be a bit more time before we see him in the Old Trafford dug out. And it is safe to say that there is a lot of excitement about how the legendary German manager will do with the Red Devils.
Rangnick is one of the most influential figures in modern football management. He shaped the idea of Gegenpressing, popularised zonal marking and has influenced managers like Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann just to name a few.
Rangnick himself has had notable spells at clubs like RB Leipzig, Schalke and a few others in Germany. But there is no doubt about the fact that Manchester United represents the most high profile job of his career.
Thus, there are many questions about how things will unfold at the Theatre of Dreams during the spell of Rangnick. Chris Sutton has predicted exciting things though. He wrote in his column in the Daily Mail:
"The fact that Arsenal don’t have Europe this season is a massive advantage for them. Mikel Arteta and his players have got no excuses — no Thursday night games in Baku to hide behind. They’re even on the verge of having Arsene Wenger back at the club, and he knows a thing or two about finishing fourth.But Ralf Rangnick is a super-manager, a visionary of the game, the godfather of gegenpressing, and I believe United are capable of sneaking into the Champions League places at the expense of fellow European hopefuls Arsenal and West Ham."
Sutton has made exciting top four prediction for Manchester United
Of course, nobody can predict the future but there have already been some positives signs around Manchester United since the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
With Michael Carrick as their caretaker manager, they got an important away win against Villarreal to book their place in the Champions League knockout stage and then managed a 1-1 draw against Chelsea, another positive result for Manchester United considering the circumstances.
The important thing now though would be to continue building on these positive displays when Rangnick does eventually arrive at the club.
With just five points separating Manchester United and fourth placed West Ham United, it is safe to say that a top four finish is still very much within the Red Devils’ reach.