Haaland and Luis Diaz IN! How Rangnick's dream Man Utd would line up

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
• 3 min read

Former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has said that he had plans for the club that would have taken them in a very different direction to the one in which they find themselves.

Rangnick was placed in temporary charge of Man Utd at the end of 2021 following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and it had been anticipated that he would be put in charge of transfer policy once his tenure as interim manager was over.

With United have endured one of their most disappointing campaigns in the modern era, though, the Old Trafford club decided to cut their losses and part company with the German as Erik ten Hag stepped into the dugout.

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Rangnick, meanwhile, has revealed that he had proposed a transfer plan to the Man Utd board that they turned down.

This would have included chasing some mouth-watering players, such as Luiz Diaz, Erling Haaland and Christopher Nkunku. Of course, Diaz and Haaland have subsequently signed for Liverpool and Manchester City respectively, while Nkunku appears destined to go to Chelsea, but in a dream scenario for Rangnick, Man Utd would have looked a formidable team indeed.

“There was no such [transfer] dossier, and it was never wanted by the club," Rangnick told Bild. “But even without such a script, it was clear to everyone that there was a need in many areas.

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“That’s why we were already discussing players like Josko Gvardiol and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig. Those were names that were realistic. We also talked about Alvaro Morata, Luis Diaz, Dusan Vlahovic and, as I said, Haaland when they were still on the market. But the club decided at that time to rebuild the team under the new coach.”

Rangnick’s Manchester United dream team

Rangnick could have had a formidable side at his disposal had he been able to land just four of his seven targets.

Gvardiol would naturally slip into the defence in the role now occupied by Lisandro Martinez while Nkunku has most regularly been used as a centre forward by RB Leipzig.

Haaland, of course, would also play up top, but this role could have been filled by Dusan Vlahovic or Alvaro Morata, both of whom remain potential signings.

Luis Diaz, meanwhile, has proven devastating on the left with Liverpool, and one of the reasons they Reds moved for him last January because interest from clubs link Man Utd was building. Nevertheless, it is mouth-watering to consider what he might have produced at Old Trafford had Rangnick been listened to more closely.