Two years ago, Ralf Rangnick made a significant statement about Manchester United, likening the Premier League giant’s issues to needing an ‘open-heart surgery.’
As the interim manager at Old Trafford, Rangnick delivered his assessment during one of his final press conferences in 2022.
Since then, Manchester United has gone through an extensive overhaul.
Over 30 players have been permanently offloaded, making way for new talent and a rejuvenated squad.
Additionally, the club welcomed a new co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who implemented a boardroom overhaul along with the decision to retain Erik ten Hag as the manager.
Despite a challenging season that concluded with an eighth-place finish in the Premier League, the club showed resilience by keeping faith in Ten Hag.
Rangnick’s analysis didn’t go unnoticed. Erik ten Hag, who succeeded Rangnick, acknowledged the correctness of the open-heart surgery analogy.
In July, Ten Hag admitted, “[Ralf] Rangnick was absolutely right. We’ve been working very hard on that [high standards] for two years, but he said it just right; it’s a thorough, very complex operation.”
Under Ten Hag’s leadership, Manchester United has made 16 permanent signings, demonstrating a commitment to the comprehensive change Rangnick advocated for.
Rangnick, while reflecting on his tenure and the subsequent developments at Old Trafford stated that his assessment was accurate.
“I probably made that statement when the season was almost over about two years ago,” Rangnick told TV2.
“It’s probably only two or three weeks since Erik ten Hag was asked the same thing. Then he said that I was right in my analysis. I don’t know how many players they have signed since, but it looks like I was right.”
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
