EVEN as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer bid farewell to the Manchester United support after another humiliating defeat, this time at the hands of relegation-threatened Watford, the Norwegian looked to have the support of his players. They joined him in making apologetic gestures. Bruno Fernandes even attempted to deflect criticism away from Solskjaer, asking fans to blame the team on the pitch instead.

Not many of those players would defend Ralf Rangnick in the same way, at least not according to leaks and reports that have emerged from Old Trafford since the German’s arrival as interim manager. Indeed, Manchester United aren’t just a faltering team on the pitch, they are a divided camp off it too.

Publicly, Anthony Martial hit back at Rangnick’s claims that the Frenchman had refused to sit on the bench for a Premier League match against Aston Villa last month. “I will never refuse to play a match for Man United,” Martial posted to his Instagram account, directly refuting Rangnick’s account of events.

Just two weeks later, a second Manchester United player contradicted Rangnick’s comments with Jesse Lingard tweeting that the club had “advised” him to take some time off and skip the FA Cup fourth round tie against Middlesbrough. Rangnick told a different story and claimed Lingard had been the one to request “a couple of days off just to clear up his mind.”

 

Almost as soon as Rangnick pitched up at Old Trafford, there were reports of disgruntlement within the United squad. The German’s methods have failed to win over a number of influential players with the decision to suspend Mason Greenwood following his arrest on suspicion of rape also reportedly dividing the group.

Of course, it could be argued that Rangnick is only exposing the flawed character of many within the Manchester United squad. That the German’s brief to reshape the team Solskjaer left behind was always likely to cause some pain. However, Rangnick’s man-management skills appear to be creating more problems than they are solving.

There is no doubting Rangnick’s credentials as a tactician. The 63-year-old is widely credited as the forefather of ‘Gegenpressing,’ the high-intensity approach that has set the zeitgeist across European football in recent years. While results have been mixed with Rangnick at the helm, there is now a clearer tactical structure to Manchester United’s play. Their defence is certainly stronger. There have even been signs of a high press on occasion.

 

Yet Rangnick will only get so far if he cannot win over hearts and minds. Jurgen Klopp, who credits Rangnick as a direct influence, isn’t just a tactician, but a spiritual leader. Liverpool’s players fight for their manager and the same can be said of Manchester City’s players who idolise Pep Guardiola.

Solskjaer might have been exposed for his lack of tactical nous, but United’s squad generally pulled in the same direction under his stewardship. The Norwegian wouldn’t have lasted as long as he did without such strong dressing room support – see how many late comebacks Solskjaer’s Manchester United team produced.

Rangnick believes in the system over the individual, but individuals make the system work. The 63-year-old might be focused on communicating his footballing ideas with the former RB Leipzig a hands-on coach on the training ground. However, Rangnick must also communicate with his players as people.

The squad Rangnick inherited might be unbalanced, both on and off the pitch, but he knew the situation before taking over at Old Trafford. He will be judged on the team he moulds and the character of the group he forges. The time was right for Manchester United to move on from Solskjaer, but this is one area where Rangnick could learn something from his predecessor.