Ralf Rangnick delivered a few home truths to Manchester United players who became used to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s soft approach regarding missing games with niggling injuries, according to reports.
The German coach took charge on an interim basis in November after Solskjaer’s sacking and has been tasked with securing a top-four finish this campaign.
Rangnick has already endured his fair share of problems off the pitch with leaks coming out of the dressing room about disharmony within the team as well as suggestions the players lack respect towards the coaching staff.
According to the Independent, the former RB Leipzig manager ‘b*******d’ his players upon walking into the ‘mess’ at Old Trafford which saw some criticised for their poor attitude under Solskjaer with some taking advantage of his approach.
Under Solskjaer’s tenure, it’s claimed it became an ‘open secret’ in the dressing room that little niggles could see players miss away games they weren’t keen to play with players showing lack of commitment to the Norwegian coach.
It was the opposite approach to Jose Mourinho, who questioned the mentality of ‘Injured’ players, taking aim at Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw who pulled out of a game against Swansea, often demanding his stars play to their absolute limit.
Rangnick’s attempts to deliver some home truths to the club’s players in a bid to rescue what has been a disappointing season can only really be judged come the end of the campaign.
The Red Devils face a fight to finish in the top four, having been eliminated out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough, and few remain convinced they can triumph in the UEFA Champions League given recent displays.
United take on Atletico Madrid in the first-leg of their last-16 Champions League clash on Wednesday and face clubs like Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham in the coming weeks that will prove tough tests.
Off the pitch, Rangnick seems happy with how things are going in the dressing room, saying last week that he felt the atmosphere had improved since the January window closed.
‘Obviously, I have heard about what was written. I can only tell you from my personal experience in the last 12 weeks, yes, there were players unhappy until the closure of the window because, as I always said, the squad was too big, we had too many players who just realised they wouldn’t get game-time and this has improved, for sure,’ Rangnick said.
‘From what I can tell, the atmosphere in the locker room is better than it used to be a couple of weeks ago for all those reasons I just spoke about.
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‘As you quite rightly said, for us it’s about performing well, showing togetherness on the pitch, getting the best out of our performance and winning games, that’s our job. Those are the things we can influence, all the other things we can’t.’
