Nine players Rangnick recommended to Man Utd including Liverpool star
Most Manchester United fans accept Ralf Rangnick's time in charge wasn't a successful one, but the German did try and set the club up for a brighter future.
The 65-year-old was appointed as the Red Devils' interim manager in November 2021 following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. United had been beaten by Watford 4-1 and were on a downward spiral, before Rangnick managed to steady the ship and help secure a sixth-place finish.
Rangnick was set to remain in a consultancy role and support Erik ten Hag at the end of the 2021/22 season, but he decided to leave after becoming the Austria national team boss. During the final few weeks of his tenure, Rangnick admitted the United squad needed 'open-heart surgery' if they wanted to compete at the top again.
In fact, the ex-Leipzig coach also recommended that the Red Devils should sign as many as NINE elite players to bolster the squad. Rangnick claimed in an interview with BILD that "there was a need in many areas" and he suggested several "realistic" targets when they were on the market.
One of them was Manchester City hotshot Erling Haaland . Rangnick was an executive in the Red Bull group when the forward was playing for Salzburg, before the 23-year-old really rose to prominence at Borussia Dortmund. Haaland then moved to City in summer 2022 and scored 52 times in 53 matches last season.
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Haaland is not the only now-City player Rangnick suggested to the United board. Josko Gvardiol , who moved to City from RB Leipzig for £77million in the summer, was on Rangnick's radar, while Julian Alvarez was touted by the former United boss as someone the club should have signed.
Julian Alvarez has impressed for Manchester City since his move from River Plate (Getty Images)Rangnick also discussed about bringing Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku to Old Trafford. The Frenchman has been out since pre-season with a knee problem and scored 23 goals for Leipzig last term. Konrad Laimer was the third former Leipzig talent that Rangnick looked at, with the midfielder now playing his football at Bayern Munich.
Despite re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo in August 2021, United were still on the lookout for a long-term striker. As well as Haaland, Rangnick wanted the Red Devils to sign Alvaro Morata and Dusan Vlahovic . Although Morata struggled during his time at Chelsea, Rangnick felt he could be an asset for United, while Vlahovic was one of Europe's most sought-after forwards following an impressive season at Fiorentina.
Enzo Fernandez joined Chelsea for £106m in January (Getty Images)Fred and Scott McTominay both started Rangnick's first game at the helm against Crystal Palace in December 2021 and it was clear United needed to strengthen in midfield. Even before he was at Benfica and impressed at the World Cup with Argentina, Rangnick liked the look at Enzo Fernandez , who at the time was plying his trade at River Plate.
Luis Diaz was the final player that Rangnick recommended. Diaz instead chose to join Liverpool in a deal worth £37.5m plus add-ons and the Colombian winger has impressed for the Reds since, helping them win the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in his first season.
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