Liverpool
manager Jurgen Klopp has said that the links between Manchester United and
German coach Ralf Rangnick is “not good news for other teams” as “unfortunately
a good coach is coming to England”.
United are
set to appoint Rangnick as interim manager until the end of the season, following
which the 63-year-old is expected to be retained as a consultant while the club
appoint a permanent successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Klopp was one
of the young German coaches who looked up to Rangnick as he changed German football
and turned a number of clubs into powerhouses. Klopp and Chelsea boss Thomas
Tuchel have been heavily influenced by Rangnick’s style of play.
Tuchel was
a player under Rangnick at Ulm, a club he set on course for their first-ever promotion
to the Bundesliga before managing clubs like Stuttgart, Hannover, Hoffenheim,
Schalke and RB Leipzig.
He has also
served as director of football for the Red Bull group of clubs, and is currently
the manager of sports and development for Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow.
United have
reportedly agreed a deal with the Russian side for Rangnick’s imminent
appointment.
Also Read | Regulator for English football given backing by government
“He’s a
really good man and an outstanding coach. He’s a really experienced manager and
famously built two clubs from nowhere to proper forces in Germany – Hoffenheim
and RB Leipzig,” Klopp said.
“He’s done
a lot of different jobs in football, but his first concern was always being a
coach, being a manager, and that’s what his best skill is.”
“Between
the coaches and in the football world in Germany, he is very highly regarded
and rightly so. Wherever he was, he did an incredible job. He started as a
young man at Stuttgart, coaching the reserve team, and kept going from there.
Ulm getting to the Bundesliga was insane at the time, and he made his way up.”
Michael
Carrick is expected to be in charge of United for Sunday’s Premier League clash
against Chelsea. Rangnick is expected to be in charge for Thursday’s home game against
Arsenal.
