Ralf Rangnick was in the stands at Old Trafford last night to watch his new team for the first time and now his attentions will turn to taking his first training sessions and picking his first line-up.
The 63-year-old has been studying video footage of United with his analyst to understand the squad he is inheriting from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and on Thursday he got an in-person view from the directors’ box.
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Cristiano Ronaldo struck the decisive goals in the 3-2 come-from-behind win over Arsenal, showing his worth in the most important aspect of the game and receiving a standing ovation from his new manager. There were other players who impressed, although a chaotic performance will have given Rangnick plenty to consider.
The German played a back three at times when last in charge of a team at RB Leipzig in 2018-19 and it is conceivable he goes that way with United to establish some order once Raphael Varane is fit.
As things stand, there look to be only a few tweaks he might make for the visit of Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Donny van de Beek or Mason Greenwood could each be worth starts, or the first-choice full-backs might return. There could be a change in formation, shifting to a 4-3-3 with Fred advanced and Bruno Fernandes dropping back.
Here is what The Athletic thinks:
David de Gea
The Spaniard is back to his shot-stopping best, pulling off one world-class save per game — the latest to deny Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last night, even though the offside flag was raised. But whenever a team has one of the worst defensive records in the division, there is reason to evaluate their goalkeeper. United have conceded 24 league goals after 14 games, just four teams in the Premier League have let in more and half of those are the bottom two, Norwich City and Newcastle United.
De Gea has made 46 saves this campaign, less only than Leicester City counterpart Kasper Schmeichel (51). By comparison, Ederson of Manchester City has made 17 saves. The frequency with which De Gea is called upon is alarming.
He has made a sequence of astonishing saves, but his expected goals against (xGA) of 22.8 is less than the actual number of goals he’s allowed. Edouard Mendy of leaders Chelsea, for example, has an xGA of 13.28 but six goals conceded.
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The volume of work De Gea does invites the theory that he becomes mentally fatigued on other simpler saves, such as for Bernando Silva’s goal at Old Trafford a month ago. There also remain perennial questions about his communication and whether some chances would happen at all with better organisation and more aggressive positioning.
Those are two qualities Dean Henderson possesses and Rangnick, who likes a high line, could yet bring the 24-year-old into contention.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was the only outfield player to feature in every minute of the Premier League this season before kick-off against Arsenal and for a defender with scope to improve, that is a situation that needs addressing. Solskjaer wanted to provide Wan-Bissaka with a genuine rival in Atletico Madrid’s England stalwart Kieran Trippier and a move for the 31-year-old remains a deal possible in January, depending on Rangnick’s preferences.
In the meantime, Rangnick might try Diogo Dalot, for his attacking potential. Dalot certainly gave a good account of himself on Thursday night in what was his first Premier League start since October 2019. He struck the first shot on target of the game, cutting in on his left, and was generally more assertive than Wan-Bissaka has been, playing the pass to free Marcus Rashford for Ronaldo’s first goal.
Rangnick could try to tease out Wan-Bissaka’s offensive potential but there are some close to the club who feel that concentrating on his defensive qualities is now the most sensible choice.
Should he overcome his current hand injury, Wan-Bissaka has an edge against Palace because he knows how to shackle Wilfried Zaha, his former team-mate at the London club. But Dalot has shown glimpses of defensive rigour; last night he outpaced Emile Smith Rowe to steal the ball and avert danger.
There are members of United’s squad who believe the Sweden international is the best defender at the club. Solskjaer valued him highly too, in part for the way he made himself available through a troubling back problem.
Varane’s injury absence means Lindelof is a sure starter for Rangnick’s first game but it will be intriguing to see whether he retains his place when the France international is available again. United are projecting the trip to Brentford on December 14 for Varane’s return, possibly easing him in off the bench against Norwich City three days earlier if circumstances allow.
Lindelof has generally been fine this season, but against Arsenal he was guilty of allowing a ragged line that left United susceptible to a straight ball from Ben White to Aubameyang who was able to fashion a shot at goal.
United’s captain has had a difficult season, culminating in that entirely avoidable dismissal in the loss at Watford that set the stage for Solskjaer’s departure. His decision-making has seemed clouded and with that, the leadership he has displayed since taking up the armband has eroded somewhat.
Concerningly, Maguire’s powers in the air, one of his key attributes, appear to have waned. He has won 2.35 aerial duels per game in the Premier League this campaign, mid-ranking among defenders, whereas last season he was among the best with 3.99 per game.
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He did however make a crucial headed clearance in stoppage time against Arsenal and another with his feet seconds later.
Maguire also created momentum going forwards, playing a part in United’s first goal high up the pitch, and had two shots — albeit both from ranges to satisfy any goalkeeper.
Luke Shaw’s continued absence after being struck in the face with the ball at Vicarage Road, in his first game back from a concussion, has given Telles a run of three straight starts and his best performance yet came last night against Arsenal. He stepped adeptly into midfield to intercept and played a sharp pass down the line for Jesse Lingard to ease pressure late on.
He was occasionally too narrow, and lacks the explosive speed of Shaw to go on the overlap, but he deserves to stay in the side after a display like that.
Shaw has suffered a dip from the heights hit last season so a break from the side is no bad thing, but the level he reached should not be easily forgotten, nor his effective relationship with England colleague Rashford on the left.
Still, he might need to persuade Rangnick from the view he held in 2020. “They could do with a left-back,” Rangnick said. “I know they have Luke Shaw, but I’m not so sure if he’s still on the same kind of level you need for a club like Manchester United.”
McTominay can run 10km in 34 minutes and that kind of stamina should appeal to Rangnick. Against Arsenal, the Scotland international hurtled into a challenge on Smith Rowe on 27 minutes that lit the atmosphere and completed a couple of ball carries which should also suit Rangnick’s high-octane style. He made a key interception from a Nuno Tavares pass too.
The criticism has been over his inability to control games in midfield but it is possible that adding an extra man there will aid that process. Shifting Fernandes back a little would increase numbers in the centre and produce simpler passing routes to maintain possession.
Against Arsenal, United occasionally moved into a distinct 4-2-4 with a gap to the front which made it difficult for McTominay and Fred to progress the ball.
Fred
Michael Carrick spoke highly of Fred for his “infectious” mentality and it is possible to see much of United in the Brazilian — infuriating, but also capable of inspiring. His best work against Arsenal came higher up, in sensing the chance from Jadon Sancho’s pass then setting up Fernandes for his goal, and smartly winning the penalty later on. Another interception should have created a threatening attack but Fernandes looped his pass to Rashford.
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Fred also lost possession 13 times in the game and had a pass success rate of 79.25 per cent (missing with 11 of 53 attempts). In central midfield, more reliability is required. But perhaps allowing him to operate further up the pitch would be to the team’s benefit.
United’s No 17 had noticeably shifted forward in relation to the rest of the team in the three games under Carrick and continuing that approach might harness his best attributes. He has good anticipation which can lead to chances in the final third.
Going the other way, he produced a superb block to deny Bukayo Saka but in another moment should have brought down Gabriel Martinelli when running alongside McTominay, who had already been booked. Aubameyang got a shot away and analysts in the stands believed a tactical foul was there to be made.
Bruno Fernandes
It was clear by his primal celebrations how much Fernandes savoured scoring his first United goal since September 11 last night. He also created four chances against Arsenal, placing him top of the charts in the Premier League on 42 overall — four ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
His expected assists total is 2.93, behind only one player — albeit way behind. Alexander-Arnold is on 5.26.
But these numbers show that, whatever the tribulations Fernandes is having, he still has good underlying influence.
Fernandes is not undroppable — Van de Beek could slot nicely into a 4-3-3 playing one-touch passing — but he provides United with a cutting edge.
Jadon Sancho
United’s £73 million summer signing appears one of the major beneficiaries of Rangnick’s arrival. In 2020, Rangnick said of Sancho: “I don’t see any other player with his combination of pace, being dangerous in front of goal and ability to get assists. He’s one of the best talents in Europe.”
Developed at Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund, Sancho is a systems player, which aligns to Rangnick’s way of working. The 21-year-old was able to rack up the goals and assists in the Bundesliga through pre-programmed movements and good understanding with team-mates and the last couple of games have hinted at his potential in that regard in a United shirt.
He is a player who needs consistency of selection to establish a rhythm, but he has only featured in 39.4 per cent of Premier League football this season. Selection against Arsenal was the first time he has started four successive matches for United in all competitions.
Sancho played the majority of the game on the left, with Rashford on the right, which might appear the opposite way round to expectations. But from that position, Sancho can cut inside and slip passes into the area — as he did twice last night to create goals — while Rashford can deliver crosses first time. Rashford, however, still looks more potent himself cutting in from the left.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Focus will fall on Rangnick’s pick for centre-forward and he may be thankful to Carrick for dropping the Portuguese against Chelsea last weekend — the shock will be lessened if he now follows suit.
Into the autumn of his career, Rangnick is not thought to be as authoritarian over his methods however, and he should be able to find a way to include a supreme scorer into his side.
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There is precedence. At Red Bull Salzburg, Jonathan Soriano scored 172 goals in 202 games between 2012 and 2017 when Rangnick was sporting director. Rangnick helped guide a style that enabled Soriano to concentrate on finishing, with the rest of the outfield players coordinating the press to compensate. There were instructions for Soriano to head to a specific area of the box when his team-mates triggered the press, in anticipation of a turnover. There is a way to harness Ronaldo’s talents within a high-energy approach.
Even so, there was energy from the 36-year-old against Arsenal. He sprinted to harangue Gabriel in the 83rd minute and could have had a hat-trick but for a good save by Aaron Ramsdale. Ronaldo has scored 12 times in 16 games so far.
Marcus Rashford
Rashford has scored three goals in 10 games since returning from shoulder surgery on October 16 but has been in and out of the starting line-up during United’s tailspin. He was something of a surprise substitution at half-time of the Watford defeat amid Solskjaer’s attempts to instil defensive discipline, but he did better off the ball at Chelsea and that is an aspect Rangnick is sure to focus on.
Perhaps Rashford has been a victim of some conflicting coaching since breaking through, with Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer all taking different approaches, and his game could be propelled to new levels through the consistent instructions of Rangnick’s forensic methods. He looks a potent weapon in a high-pressing team.
Against Arsenal, he appeared a little disconnected at times but he delivered at a pivotal moment, producing a precise cross for Ronaldo.
(Photo: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)