Austria midfielder Konrad Laimer said Ralf Rangnick's decision to stay on at the national team was a "win-win situation," after the coach refused an offer from his Bayern Munich club.
"I was quite relaxed when all rumours started. Overall, it was a win-win situation for me anyway and I'm obviously very happy that he chose Austria," the midfielder said on Sunday.
Laimer had already worked with Rangnick during their time at RB Leipzig and met the coach again after he took over the national team in June 2022.
Rangnick was recently on the verge of a move to Bundesliga record champions Bayern, where Laimer currently plays. Club bosses were certain the transfer would go through, but Rangnick decided last-minute to stay with Austria beyond these Euros, because "I trusted my gut, listened to my heart."
Laimer said he's pleased that Rangnick is "simply staying on as coach because we've started on a path together that is definitely not over yet and that we want to continue on."
At Euro 2024, Rangnick has led Austria to back-to-back qualifications to the last 16, equalling their most successful campaign ever at Euro 2020. They will now face Turkey on Tuesday in Leipzig.
