The winds of change appear to be blowing at Manchester United right now. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had spent almost three years in the managerial hot seat at Old Trafford but the club decided to show the Norwegian manager the exit door after their disappointing start to the season despite signing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane in the summer. Ralf Rangnick was brought in as the interim manager.
The German will remain as the club’s interim manager till the end of the season after which he is set to take a consultancy role.
It is safe to say that the manager is expected to bring a very different style of football to Manchester United, as he is the man to develop the philosophy of Gegenpressing. This is also without doubt the most high profile managerial job of his career. Thus, there are many questions about how Rangnick will do at Manchester United.
Demba Ba’s recent claims about the manager will excite Manchester United fans though. As reported by i, the striker said:
"“I saw him speaking with players to tell them what he wanted them to do and it is a method of communication which is so different. It is tailored to the individual and is about improvement. There are not many people who can bring that level of detail to their coaching or their direction, and you can see the players buy into it. I could see the improvement from day to day and the way the players were changing.“He did it with me when I was a player. When you see the whole plan that he sets out to you, you cannot say no. I knew then that this guy was special.”"
Ba’s Rangnick claim will excite Manchester United fans
Rangnick might not have gotten a lot of success in his career in terms of silverware but there have been nothing but glowing remarks about the German from managers around the game as well as players who have played under him over the years.
Ba is one such player. While famous for his time in the Premier League, the striker was at 1899 Hoffenheim in Germany when Rangnick was their manager.
Someone who can get the best out of individual players might be exactly what Manchester United need. While Rangnick’s stint in the Old Trafford hot seat might end up being short, if he can help develop and improve players like Mason Greenwood, Anthony Elanga, Jadon Sancho and others, it could have a huge effect on the club’s future.