Rangnick has dismissed the idea of challenging for the PL title, for now, saying he will take each game one day at a time
By Kehinde Okeowo
Manchester Uniteds’ new interim manager, Ralf Rangnick, has disclosed that his focus is not on winning the Premier League title for now, but on getting the club back to winning ways.
He made this known while speaking ahead of his clash with London club Crystal Palace, this afternoon at Old Trafford.
United, after a poor run during the reign of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, have now picked up the pace by winning two and drawing one of the last three games.
They have the chance of leapfrog Arsenal into 5th if they beat Crystal Palace today, but Rangnick does not want to be dragged into the title contention drama.
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The 65-year-old German reckoned that United is coming from a period in which it was humiliated by the league leaders, Man City and Liverpool.
He also said despite picking a point at the bridge, Chelsea were the better side, he, therefore, sounded a note of caution to United fans on their league aspirations.
He said: “Five weeks ago, our team lost 5-0 against Liverpool – and it could have been a lot more if we are honest. Against City it was 2-0 – but it could also have been more.
“It was important to win the point at Chelsea, but the performance? I don’t know. They had 24 shots on goal and we had three. So, right now, to say I will challenge the top Premier League managers in the next few weeks or months is not realistic.”
He also said his immediate goal is to win the next games, and that he will be willing to discuss issues relating to challenging for the title around March or April next year.
“Right now my focus is on Crystal Palace and then on Young Boys, then Norwich, then Brighton, and then Brentford. The games against Chelsea, Liverpool, and Man City will be in March and April – and that’s when I will answer the question about challenging them,” he said.
Rangnick gave a hint into his recruitment policy going forward, as he said it will be a blend of established stars and top academy graduates.
“It’s about recruitment but also at a club like #mufc, with a top academy, we should make sure that every year we have one or two players who are good enough to make it into the first team.”