Ralf Rangnick has revealed he held talks to convince Michael Carrick to ‘stay on board’ at Manchester United, but was forced to accept his decision to step aside as he ‘needed a break’.
The 63-year-old held his opening press conference as United’s interim boss and discussed a number of topics including his playing style, Cristiano Ronaldo’s role in his setup and the January window.
There remains uncertainty over the coaching staff Rangnick will employ for the second half of the season after Carrick announced his exit after United’s 3-2 win over Arsenal.
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The former England player said it was ‘100 per cent’ his choice to leave following the victory, which Rangnick confirmed as he addressed the media for the first time.
‘I met with Michael and with Kieran [McKenna], but especially with Michael two days ago. I had a long private conversation with him for more than an hour,’ Rangnick told reporters.
‘I was trying to convince him to stay on board, but he had obviously taken that decision weeks ago that he needed a break and a rest after 30 years in professional football.
‘In the end I had to accept that and in a way I can also understand his decision.’
Rangnick hopes to get ‘one or two’ trusted ex-colleagues on the staff at Old Trafford as quickly as possible, but concedes it may be tricky given Brexit regulations and the fact many are already contracted to big teams around Europe.
‘I’m more than happy to work with the current coaching staff because I need their experience and expertise regarding the current squad,’ he added.
‘I will obviously try to find one, two, maybe three people who can join us in the next two weeks, but with the Brexit regulations it’s not that easy.
‘Many of my former colleague, no matter if it’s video analysts or assistant coaches, are in contracts with big clubs so they’re not available right now so we have to be a little bit smart and clever and find the right people.
‘But I hope that we can get them in here in the next one or two weeks, but I cannot tell you any names.’
