Sky Sports News was told this week that there are cliques in the dressing room, with some of the squad struggling to adapt to Ralf Rangnick's training methods and 4-2-2-2 formation. "They are at least trying, I am sure that they are listening," said Rangnick of his squad
Friday 7 January 2022 18:30, UK
Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick says the squad are "at least trying" to take his ideas on board amid doubts about his approach among some of the players.
Rangnick has faced his toughest week yet at Old Trafford after Wolves inflicted his first defeat since taking over at Old Trafford on Monday - a performance he described as a "relapse" to old habits by his players.
Sky Sports News was told this week that there are cliques in the dressing room, with some of the squad struggling to adapt to Rangnick's training methods and 4-2-2-2 formation, but the German feels there is an overall improvement - at least defensively - and an attempt to adopt his philosophy.
Asked if the players are listening to him and buying into his ideas, he said: "They are at least trying, I am sure that they are listening.
"We showed in the last games against Crystal Palace and Burnley that they are trying to follow the advice that I give them. We conceded less goals than before, it is 0.6 goals per game.
"But yes, still it is about balance, we need to find the best possible balance between offence and defence. We still have something to do to get better on."
Another source has told Sky Sports News that "they have the players at Manchester United who are ready to play, but they don't have the coach to get the best out of those players".
The same source also stressed that Rangnick's plans were disrupted in December, when the club had to close their Carrington training ground after a Covid outbreak, and that this has had an effect on performances.
Following the Wolves defeat on Monday, there have been a lot of reports about player discontent in the United squad, with as many as 17 said to be unhappy and many keen to leave.
Rangnick confirmed this was a problem among fringe players, despite stories suggesting the problem is more widespread, but was unfazed and refused to shirk any of the questions.
"Well, I mean this is not only an issue with a club like Manchester United," he said ahead of Monday's FA Cup third-round clash against Aston Villa.
"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 players - 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."
Fred, the United midfielder, has told the club's supporters not to get "misled by fake news".
"Over the past few days, I have read several fake news [stories] involving my name and other MUFC athletes," Fred posted on social media. "I'm not in the habit of answering controversial stuff publicly, but this time I will have to.
"I just want to say that I am very happy here and I have never expressed any dissatisfaction and the possibility of leaving the club. Don't get misled by fake news. We will continue to work with great dedication to pursue our goals."
Rangnick, who has predominantly worked as a director of football in the last decade, replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as an interim manager, with a view to taking a consultancy role for two years once the season is over.
Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino and Ajax head coach Erik Ten Hag are among the favourites to take over permanently, but it remains to be seen whether Rangnick will stay on in a managerial capacity.
Asked if this uncertainty was impacting the players, he added: "We have players with contracts expiring in the summer and maybe one or two players that want to leave.
"It is about the players to deal with that in a professional way.
"Everybody has the chance to show up in training and then get the chance to play. As far as I can tell so far, the players have been dealing with that in a professional way.
"If I realise that this is not the case I will address this with the players directly."
Follow every Man Utd game in the Premier League this season with our live blogs on the Sky Sports website and app, and watch match highlights for free shortly after full-time.
Want the Man Utd latest? Bookmark our Man Utd news page, check out Man Utd's fixtures and Man Utd's latest results, watch Man Utd goals and video, keep track of the Premier League table and see which Man Utd games are coming up live on Sky Sports.
Get all this and more - including notifications sent straight to your phone - by downloading the Sky Sports Scores app and setting Man Utd as your favourite team.
Hear the best Premier League reaction and expert analysis with the Essential Football and Gary Neville podcasts, keep up-to-date with our dedicated Transfer Centre, follow the Sky Sports social accounts on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, and find out how to get Sky Sports.
