Ralf Rangnick plays down talk of player unrest at Manchester United
over 3 years in The Irish Times
Ralf Rangnick downplayed talk of dressingroom discontent as the interim Manchester United manager looks to recover from the shock loss to Wolves.
There has been intense scrutiny on the Old Trafford giants in the wake of a 1-0 home loss on Monday that was more one-sided than the scoreline suggests.
It has been reported that as many as 17 players are unhappy with the current situation but interim manager Rangnick seemed unperturbed by talk of dissatisfied fringe players.
“Well, I mean this is not only an issue with a club like Manchester United,” he said. “When you have a big squad, in the last two games we had most players available.
“Yes, we had an issue with three centre backs missing out against Wolves but in general we had most players available, apart from Paul Pogba.
“If you have that many players and 10 outfield players can play and three being substituted, then of course you have quite a number of player, in our case 12, 13, 14 players who don’t even play, or not even being in the squad.
“Then those players are not happy about that situation. It’s obvious, it’s clear.
“In total, we have a big squad. I tend to explain to players every two or three weeks why they are not playing but obviously I cannot do that every game and that is an issue in our team as well as in other clubs.”
Rangnick, who was speaking ahead of Monday’s FA Cup third-round clash against Aston Villa, succeeded Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on a deal until the end of the season.
Asked if the players not knowing his future could be impacting performances, he said: “I mean, we have players with contracts expiring in the summer.
“We have maybe also one or two players who still want to leave, although they are under contract.
“It’s about the players dealing with that in a professional way. Everybody has the chance and the option to show in training, to show up and then get chance to play.
“If this is not the case, then of course the player together with the club and the agents, they need to discuss the situation.
“But as far as I can tell so far, the players have been dealing with that in a professional way, so I cannot say anything else.
“If I realise that this is not the case I will address that with the players directly.”