Manchester United’s players are becoming very concerned at the lack of managerial instinct at Old Trafford as their season continues to go from bad to worst. The club suffered a humiliating 4-1 loss to their rivals at the Manchester derby on Sunday and that has raised many questions as to whether or not the manager is the right person for the job.
The defeat was however only the second defeat of interim boss Ralf Rangnick the player are not happy. Manchester United has won just eight of the German’s 18 games in charge, including none of the last three.
Meanwhile, England striker Marcus Rashford is unsure of his Old Trafford future even though the player still wants to play for Manchester United and has another full season left on his contract – plus the option to extend until 2024 he is not sure if he has a future with the club.
But the 24-year-old, who started yesterday’s game on the bench despite the absences of Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani, feels his career has stalled and is concerned his international prospects will be damaged if the situation fails to improve. The English man is most likely to leave if Ronaldo extends his contract with United. Interim manager Rangnick admitted to United’s own media channels that his side ‘can almost not drop any more points’ over their final 10 games if they are to secure a top-four berth.
Considering their run-in includes trips to Liverpool and Arsenal, plus home games against Tottenham on Saturday and then Chelsea on 15 May, getting maximum points will not be easy.
Manchester United knows a failure to secure a place in next season’s Champions League will hamper their chances of trying to sign new players or even persuading others to stay, such as France midfielder Paul Pogba, who will be out of contract in the summer. While the players understand much of the responsibility for the current predicament lies with them, there is also a belief they are not being helped by the extended period without a permanent manager and lack of clarity over who will eventually succeed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was sacked on 21 November.
Paris St-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino and Ajax’s Erik ten Hag remain the frontrunners for the post. Last week, United’s football director John Murtough said a ‘thorough process’ was underway and it is understood that is advancing. The situation is adding to a general air of uncertainty around Old Trafford, with numerous players becoming disenchanted with life at the club.
Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, and Cavani are almost certain to leave when their contracts expire in the summer. There is uncertainty too over the futures of goalkeeper Dean Henderson, Eric Bailly, and also Anthony Martial. Donny van de Beek, who is currently on loan at Everton is also not left out.
Speaking after the defeat by Premier League leaders Manchester City, Scott McTominay said accusations by former players Roy Keane and Gary Neville that United gave up at the Etihad were “incredibly disappointing”. According to the player he said: “I have nothing to say about problems [at the club],” He also said: “It’s not my place to say anything. We have a big end to the season coming up and we need to get in the Champions League. That’s all I’m thinking about.
“Whatever goes on behind the scenes is completely irrelevant to me. I’m part of it, but you have to concentrate on your own game. You can get too distracted by all the things that are going on at the football club.
The Scottish International said the whole team needs to stick together as they can’t let anything like what happened in the derby happen again as it is damaging their confidence going into their next game.