Hand-picked experts, tactical flexibility and no outcasts – how Ralf Rangnick will improve Man Utd

Manchester United’s desire for serious change will unquestionably be seen through the stark contrast between Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.

Where Solskjaer was a warm, comfortable reminder to a bygone era of success, Rangnick instead arrives at Old Trafford with every intention of altering every facet of this underperforming institution.

The fun uncle has been replaced by a stern headmaster, but rather than take a sledgehammer to this team, Rangnick is likely to tweak Solskjaer’s set-up and the club itself until it’s back on track. Revolution, yes, but not in the way that is expected.

The German tactician's first port of call will be what to do with Cristiano Ronaldo. A club legend and the team’s top goalscorer, the Portugal international is also an apparent barrier to Rangnick implementing his gegenpressing tactics on the Man Utd squad. Or is he?

“He loves players that can sprint on and off the ball but if you have quality players like Ronaldo then you have to use them and adapt your tactics. I think he will do that,” suggested Andreas Beck, who played under Rangnick for three years and became his captain at Hoffenheim.

“I don’t know what his master plan is but if he has those kinds of players then I think he will find a compromise to make use of players like Ronaldo and be as successful as he can be with the players he has right now.”

It is a silver lining not just for Ronaldo - who is unlikely to have been in any way concerned - but for the likes of Paul Pogba and Donny van de Beek, who for various reasons have not been utilised during Solskjaer’s final season in charge. Pogba was exiled after his criticism of United’s method before injury sidelined him, while Van de Beek was strangely left on the bench until Solskjaer used him as his last roll of the dice, to no avail.

Indeed, while Rangnick is correctly portrayed as one of the founding fathers of modern German football, his track record as a manager is far from the tactical zealotry espoused by other Premier League managers like Pep Guardiola and Marcelo Bielsa. And that means making space for Ronaldo & Co until better options become available.

“He used older players quite successfully at Hoffenheim,” noted Beck, who remains close friends with Rangnick to this day. “If he has players that are 25, 30 or 32 years old, he still uses them. Of course he will. He won’t tell them he won’t play them just because they’re of a certain age.”

While Rangnick certainly has strong views on how his teams should play, an inherent pragmatism often outweighs his need for aesthetically pleasing or tactically perfect football. Before a well structured counter attack or a considered passing move, Rangnick desires one thing: success.

“He wants to win. That’s his end goal,” recalls Beck when he thinks back to his time under Rangnick at Hoffenheim. “He’s obsessed with winning games and obsessed with developing teams.”

Winning has not normally been an unfamiliar experience at Old Trafford, but as the victories dried up, so too did Solskjaer’s days as United manager. The question for the squad now is what can they expect on a day-to-day basis from a manager whose reputation may not be what meets the eye.

“From day one it was intense,” added former Germany international Beck. “He has a clear idea of his football style and he’s highly intelligent. You notice that when you speak to him.”

Rather than Guardiola or Bielsa, perhaps a more accurate comparison could be made with Thomas Tuchel, a former student of Rangnick’s at Stuttgart and a manager that still plays by his teacher’s rulebook. Upon arriving at Stamford Bridge, Tuchel was predicted to build a team akin to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, but instead designed a defensive machine that took just five months to click into gear and win the Champions League.

A European Cup in his first season may be a tall order for Rangnick at Old Trafford, but evolution rather than revolution will certainly be his preferred route to success. The real, lasting changes will almost certainly come off the pitch.

At Hoffenheim and then RB Leipzig, Rangnick filled each department with experts in every field, as the German manager personally hand-picked physiotherapists, nutritionists, scouts, game analysts and youth coaches. And bit by bit, each club got better and better.

“When you get Rangnick you don’t only get the coach. You get so much more,” explains Beck, when asked about the manager’s influence at Hoffenheim. “They may not see it in the first days, weeks or months, but Manchester United will eventually see the benefits of the ideas he’ll bring to the club. He was only at Hoffenheim for a few years but what he left behind is something the club is still profiting from today.”

Perhaps Rangnick can get Ronaldo & Co running through brick walls for him come May, but what he could end up achieving off the pitch over the next few years may be far more significant and put the Old Trafford side back on the road to success.

“Everyone has always known that he’s always dreamed of managing in England,” added Beck. “I think this is really a dream come true for him.” The German manager may be delighted at finally having a shot to prove himself in English football, but if things work out as they did at Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig, it will be the United fans that will finally have their hopes and dreams restored.