There is constant speculation over the future of Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.
Not even a sensational 4-3 win over Liverpool could spare Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag from an international break full of speculation over his future.
Manchester United fans knew not to take it seriously, drowning out all the noise about Gareth Southgate and, er, Gary O’Neil.
Ten Hag has not been perfect but he is making progress, on course for a third cup final in two seasons.
You only need look back to the Ralf Rangnick spell to see how much worse it could really get. And it certainly wasn’t all Rangnick’s fault either – but it was a grim time to experience.
Ralf Rangnick now leading Austria
Part of the reason Ralf Rangnick left Manchester United so promptly was the job offer he received from the Austria national team. He has made it a real success, qualifying for Euro 2024, and this past international break might have been his best yet.
Rangnick’s Austria might not have exploded out of the blocks quite as quickly as they did a few days earlier – Christoph Baumgartner scoring the fastest ever recorded international goal after just six seconds against Iceland – but a second-minute opener certainly set the tone versus Turkey in Vienna.
Austria cruised to a 6-1 win in front of their own supporters, playing exactly the kind of front-foot, high-octane football Rangnick has become famous for. They don’t call the veteran tactician the ‘Godfather of Gegenpressing’ for nothing.
The former Manchester United interim coach might not have succeeded in bringing his free-wheeling approach to a Red Devils outfit ill-at-ease with his demands but, in charge of the Austrian national team, he has found an energetic, aggressive group of players capable of putting in the hard yards Rangnick demands.
Former Manchester United boss has transformed Austria
Austria, surely now one of the teams to watch at Euro 2024, have now won 13 out of 21 games under Rangnick, with November’s outclassing of neighbours Germany and Tuesday’s shellacking of Turkey undoubted highpoints of his reign.
If that underwhelming Man United spell suggested that the 65-year-old’s time at the top level was up, then the manner and the speed in which he has transformed Austria’s fortunes has provided quite the counter-argument.
In fact, one former Ballon D’Or winner believes that Bayern Munich could actually do a lot worse than a man who helped put RB Leipzig on the map.
“He has actually always done a successful job and played attractive football,” Lothar Matthaus argues.
“He relies on young players, which is where Bayern want to go. Ralf Rangnick has to be on this list that (new director) Max Eberl has put together.”
“At Bayern Munich, you’re not the sole entertainer like at Red Bull Salzburg or Leipzig, where there have also been a few differences. But Ralf Rangnick would be someone I could imagine (working out), if you look at the human side.”