Could Ronaldo play under Rangnick? Carrick has his say on new Man Utd manager
Stefan Bienkowski
- 26 Nov 2021 07:47 CST
- 3 min read
Manchester United caretaker manager Michael Carrick refused to speculate over the imminent arrival of Ralf Rangnick but hinted that the squad was ready to adapt to the German tactician’s methods.
The 63-year-old coach is widely expected to take over as Man Utd’s next manager, following the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer earlier in the month.
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Rangnick brings with him a wealth of experience, having coached numerous clubs in Germany over the past 30 years.
However, the senior manager also has a reputation for controlling every aspect of each club he joins, as well as highly demanding training and tactical methods that may prove unpopular with some of Man Utd’s top stars.
Despite that, Carrick was in no mood to confirm or deny whether Rangnick was on the cusp of replacing him in the Old Trafford dugout.
Tuchel on Rangnick: "He helped me a lot. He was my coach. He was one of the mani figures to convince me to start coaching. He taught us that we don't have to follow people to the toilet in football games..."
— Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) November 26, 2021
'Anything after Sunday is not my concern...'
"From my point of view not a lot, speculation and reports are just that,” said Carrick when asked about reports of Rangnick joining the club during a press conference on Friday.
"It's a huge responsibility that I have at the moment and I've given it everything. Anything after Sunday is not in my thoughts at the moment."
The biggest concern Man Utd fans may have with Rangnick’s appointment is whether the manager’s tactics will get the best out of the club’s key players.
Carrick on if he will stay on under Rangnick: "My pure focus is on preparing the team as best as I can. It's a huge responsibility that I have at the moment and I've given it everything. Anything after Sunday is not in my thoughts at the moment."
— Mark Critchley (@mjcritchley) November 26, 2021
Should the German manager implement a style that’s not entirely dissimilar to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team, it may lead to older players like Cristiano Ronaldo or more free-spirited stars like Paul Pogba losing out.
However, without revealing too much, Carrick was quick to dismiss any notion that Rangnick would alienate some of Man Utd’s biggest stars
"I think you can get ideas across quickly. Sometimes it is just a different voice, history proves that,” said the English coach.
"There's a lot of different styles and there's a good group of players here. Whoever comes in and whatever is implemented I’m sure they can adapt, there’s some real good talent within the squad, sure they'll look forward to what's ahead."
