When is Rangnick's first Man Utd game?

FT Desk

2 Dec 2021 13:28 GMT
3 min read

Ralf Rangnick is set to become Man Utd interim manager — © ProShots

Ralf Rangnick will take charge of his first Manchester United game on Sunday 5 December against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.

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Rangnick was appointed as Man Utd’s new interim manager for the remainder of the season on Monday.

At the end of the campaign, he will remain at the club on a consultancy basis to help run the sporting department for an initial two years.

What will be Rangnick’s debut at Man Utd?

Rangnick has been unable to officially sit on the Manchester United bench so far because he had not received a work permit. This delay is due to the effects of the U.K leaving the European Union following Brexit.

Rangnick had been expected to receive his work permit before Thursday’s Premier League match against Arsenal at home.

However, the paperwork was not done in time.

Instead, current caretaker manager Michael Carrick will continue to fill in as boss.

The Guardian reports, however, the Rangnick received his visa to work in the UK on Thursday, which will allow him to take charge at the weekend.

Michael #Carrick will stay in charge of Manchester United for their match against Arsenal on Thursday as interim manager Ralf #Rangnick awaits his work visa, the Old Trafford club said on Tuesday https://t.co/piJvUiX4Os #AFPSports pic.twitter.com/XEUhzXrRBO
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 30, 2021

"Ralf Rangnick was announced as interim manager on Monday but, while the club follows the regulatory process around a work visa, Carrick will continue at the helm," a United statement said.

"Michael has communicated this to players and staff at Carrington in a busy week for the club."

Carrick has already overseen two matches, remaining unbeaten. He was in the dugout for the 2-0 victory at Villarreal in the Champions League last week, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho scoring the goals.

Then, Carrick deployed an ultra-defensive Man Utd team that gained a 1-1 draw against Premier League leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked after a disastrous run of form that saw Man Utd plummet to eighth in the Premier League, 12 points off the top of the table and six points off the Champions League places.

This included five Premier League defeats in eight games following the summer arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo.

United spent heavily in the summer transfer market, with both Sancho and Raphael Varane arriving for well over €100 million in total