Ralf Rangnick issues stern warning to Erik ten Hag following controversial remarks about 'open-heart surgery'

Ralf Rangnick reaffirms his belief that Manchester United required major changes, likening it to ‘open heart surgery’, when he made the claim two years ago. He maintains that the issues he identified back then still persist within the club.

Following the decision to sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021, Rangnick was brought to Old Trafford as interim head coach, initially planning to stay on in a consultancy role for two years.

United’s fortunes did not improve under the German, finishing the 2021-22 season with a record low haul of 58 points with zero goal difference. Rangnick left the club ahead of Erik ten Hag’s arrival that summer with plans for his consultancy role scrapped.

Before his exit, Rangnick spoke openly and damningly about the problems within the club. ‘You don’t even need glasses to see and analyse where the problems are,’ he said.

‘Now it’s about how do we solve them? It’s not enough to do some minor amendments – cosmetic things.

‘In medicine you would say that this is an operation of the open heart. If this happens and everyone has realised that this has to happen and if people want to work together then it makes sense and I believe it doesn’t take two or three years to change those things. This can happen within one year.’

While United have won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in the two years since Rangnick’s comments, they have failed to close the gap on neighbours Manchester City and challenge for the league title.

Last season, the club finished in eighth place with 60 points – just two better off than their miserable haul under Rangnick – with a minus one goal difference, their worst in Premier League history.

Rangnick is now Austria head coach with his side in Nations League action against Norway this week.

With United languishing again after two defeats in their opening three games of the new season, Rangnick admitted he was not surprised to see the Premier League giants still struggling and believes the same old problems still exist.

He told TV2: ‘I probably made that statement when the season was almost over about two years ago. It is probably only two or three weeks since Erik ten Hag was asked the same thing.

‘Then he said that I was right in my analysis. I don’t know how many players they have signed since, but it looks like I was right.’

Including loan deals, United have signed 20 players in total since ten Hag’s arrival.