Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has affirmed that former interim boss Ralf Rangnick was “absolutely right” in stating the club needed “open-heart” surgery.
Ten Hag, who took over in 2022 after Rangnick’s seven-month tenure, has acknowledged the German’s assessment.
Rangnick, now managing Austria, had steered United to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League but secured only 11 wins out of 29 matches.
Rangnick had asserted that United’s issues required more than just “minor changes” and called for significant intervention. Ten Hag, who extended his contract by another year this month, agrees with Rangnick’s evaluation.
“Rangnick was absolutely right,” Ten Hag said in an interview with Dutch newspaper AD Sportwereld., external
“We have been working very hard on this for two years, but he said it exactly right: it is a thorough, very complex operation. And I knew when I started that it was going to be a tough job.”
Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a 27.7% stake in United last December, the club has undergone significant changes off the pitch.
This year, Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox, and Christopher Vivell have all been appointed to board-level positions. Additionally, the club has committed £50 million to upgrade the training ground.
In the past week, forward Joshua Zirkzee and defender Leny Yoro have been signed from Bologna and Lille, respectively. Manager Erik ten Hag has also confirmed interest in Bayern Munich and Netherlands center-back Matthijs de Ligt.
“It remains to be seen whether De Ligt will come,” said Ten Hag.
“Of course I know Matthijs well, I’m not going to deny that. I wanted to sign him two years ago, but he had already gone a long way with Bayern Munich.”
Despite working with De Ligt at former club Ajax, Ten Hag says it was United’s scouting department that suggested the centre-back as a transfer target.
Ten Hag also confirmed that forward Jadon Sancho, who last appeared for the club in August 2023 and spent the second half of last season on loan at Dortmund after falling out with the manager, is available again for selection.
“Everyone can make a mistake,” said Ten Hag.
Sancho and Yoro both started as goals from Amad Diallo and Joe Hugill saw United beat Rangers 2-0 at Murrayfield in a friendly on Saturday.
“The standard was much better, we were much more on the front foot,” Ten Hag told MUTV. “It was enjoyable to watch.”