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Home > Blog Post > Ralf Rangnick Appointed Austria National Team Coach | How Does it Affect Manchester United?

Ralf Rangnick Appointed Austria National Team Coach | How Does it Affect Manchester United?

Ralf Rangnick, Manchester United, United vs City,

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has been appointed as the head coach of the Austria National Team. The Red Devils have already confirmed that Erik Ten Hag will take over the reins of the club from the German. Rangnick however, is expected to continue in a consultancy role at the club. The 63-year-old has been appointed as manager for Austria until 2024.

Ralf Rangnick, Manchester United, Austria
Image Obtained via: TEAMtalk

In a statement, the former Hoffenheim coach said,

“I will take over as national team manager of Austria at the end of the season but will continue my consultancy with Manchester United.

“I’m really looking forward to playing my part in helping United become a real force again.”

Appointed in November 2021, Rangnick was expected to steady the ship after the poor form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, the 63-year-old has managed only 10 wins in 26 games so far. In fact, United have just 1 win and 3 losses in their last 5 Premier League games.

But the German remains keen to continue his association with the club. Fans have wondered whether the move signifies a shift in Rangnick’s interests away from Old Trafford. Premier League pundit and former United player Gary Neville also questioned the development. On his Sky Sports Podcast, Neville said:

“Manchester United’s Sporting Director or consultant can he really be going looking at Austrian players, week in, week out? And then selecting them for the national team?

The Austrian national team has pride, great country and some great players so he’ll have to watch players all week then he’s going to go and coach them for two weeks in September, October, November and March. So you’re saying to yourself what’s happening with the Manchester United consultancy advice?

Where is the priority? There’s a conflict there.”

The former Valencia coach elaborated on how a dual role may not suit both Rangnick and the club:

“I don’t see that. I don’t see how that can work, you’re a national team manager and I’ve worked under a national team manager, that national team manager has got to be present week in, week out, Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday and he can’t be here at Old Trafford every week watching an Austrian player play.

“I can’t see how that’s going to work, if it’s something that’s true. Maybe (it’s a compromise) but it’s messy, Manchester United can’t afford at this moment to have distractions, can’t afford at this moment in time to have a poor communications plan around the idea that Ralf Rangnick’s our football consultant but he’s seen watching German football three times a month then going coaching the Austrian team two times a month.

“That’s not going to work because people are going to say ‘hang on, who’s in the director’s box? What’s Darren Fletcher doing? What’s John Murtough doing? What’s Ralf Rangnick doing wherever he’s watching an Austrian player?

“I don’t think they can afford that at this moment in time. Laser-focused, clear lines, people staying in their lines understanding what their roles are and actually communicating that to a fan base, this is a real change, this is different than it has been for the last 10 years.”

For most parts, Neville poses genuine questions. Manchester United have a complicated hierarchy of decision-making. Rangnick’s ‘consultancy’ role is also vaguely defined. We have little clarity on how much of an influence or impact Rangnick actually may have in the decision-making process.

The former RB Leipzig boss indicated that he had but a small say in the appointment of Erik Ten Hag. Will United continue to sideline Rangnick for just affirmation on any transfer plans in the future?

The German’s dual role is very rare in modern football and indicates that his position at Manchester United may just be nominal. It is unlikely that the Red Devils would have allowed Ralf Rangnick to undertake the Austria national team job if it posed a serious conflict of interest.

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The decision also offers a silver lining. Rangnick is already well respected and deeply involved in the German football environment. The Austrian Bundesliga has teams like RB Salzburg, Rapid Wien and Austria Wien. Rangnick’s role with the national team would involve continuous scouting in and around the Austrian leagues. This could help the 63-year-old identify talented youngsters and recommend them to the club. In effect, this could provide a two-fold benefit:

  1. Allowing Manchester United to access a quality pool of players with minimum competition
  2. Allowing Ralf Rangnick to track the development and progress of the players if they are signed to Manchester, for the Austria national team decisions.

What do you think of Rangnick’s appointment? Let us know in the comments.

Follow AD for the Latest Updates on Manchester United.

Adithya Ravi
Football enthusiast. Stat enthusiast

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