Rangnick urges Kalajdzic to reject Man Utd
FT Desk
- 11 Aug 2022 18:44 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United will need a new striker if Cristiano Ronaldo leaves, but that might not be Sasa Kalajdzic if he listens to former Old Trafford boss Ralf Rangnick.
Ronaldo wants to leave Old Trafford as he looks to extend upon his record 141 Champions League goals, and one player who has been tagged as his replacement is VfB Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic.
The forgotten brace 😒
Stuttgart were beaten 5-2 on Saturday, but Sasa Kalajdzic's goals are well worth another watch 👌 pic.twitter.com/YvF34RTC3B— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) February 10, 2021
The Austrian may not have Ronaldo's career pedigree, but the season before last - his last before an injury-interrupted campaign - saw him plunder his 17 goals and six assists at a rate of one every 97 minutes he played. At 25, he also has the best of his career ahead of him, unlike the 37-year-old Ronaldo.
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund were both linked with the Bundesliga's tallest player this summer before moving for other targets in Sadio Mane and Sebastien Haller, and the player ranked at just €5 million by Football Transfers could be picked up at a relative snip with less competition for his signature.
Kalajdzic wouldn't break the bank
Rangnick, of course, endured an ill-fated spell at Old Trafford. Appointed as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's successor in November 2021, he could only steer the Red Devils to a sixth-place finish, and he departed this summer after Erik ten Hag was installed.
He is now the Austria head coach, however, and he isn't in a rush to see his national team striker follow him to Manchester.
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"It's important that Sasa remains injury-free this season and trains and plays at the highest possible level," the tactician told Sky Germany. "If he stays in Stuttgart this season, it won't be detrimental to his development."
The implication is clear. Kalajdzic will continue to play for Austria under Rangnick playing his club football right where he is. And Rangnick knows better than most that Manchester United isn't the destination it used to be.
