Ralf Rangnick has officially taken charge at Manchester United, with the interim boss at Old Trafford revealing how Cristiano Ronaldo figures in his plans and how foundations for long-term success will be put in place.
The German has been cleared to inherit the reins from caretaker coach Michael Carrick, who is walking away completely after three games at the helm, with a visa finally granted.
There is much for Rangnick to do in the wake of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal, particularly how Ronaldo will fit into his plans.
MORE: Ronaldo proves Rangnick can rely on him
What has Ralf Rangnick said about Cristiano Ronaldo?
Ronaldo was dropped to the bench by Carrick for the trip to Chelsea, but returned to the United starting XI with a bang as he passed the 800 goal mark for his career in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Arsenal.
Rangnick was in attendance for that game and said at his introductory press conference: ”You always have to adapt your style or your idea of football to the players you have available, not vice-versa.
MORE: Breakdown of Ronaldo's 801 career goals
"Having seen Cristiano yesterday in the second half at the age of 36, an amazing top professional. At his age, I've never seen a player who is still that physically fit. He's still a player who can easily make the difference.
"So, yes, it's about how we can develop the whole team not only Cristiano. We play in the most competitive league in the world so we need all the players on board.
"What I saw from Cristiano yesterday, he is more than willing to do that, to put his input into the team. His team-mates will have to do the same."
Will additions be made?
Rangnick has arrived in England with another transfer window fast approaching, but claims to have no recruitment plans in place yet.
He said when asked about possible additions in January: “We haven't spoken about new players.
“Now is the time to get to know the current squad in detail, the squad is definitely not too small. There are enough players.
“Maybe after Christmas, there will be a time to talk about possible transfers in the winter. In my experience, winter is not the time for sustainable transfers. It will be difficult in the winter.”
MORE: Ronaldo warned he'll have to change under Rangnick
There have been suggestions that United will look to use Rangnick’s presence as a bargaining chip to prise Erling Haaland away from Borussia Dortmund, with the 63-year-old having previously spent time working with the Norwegian striker as sporting director at Red Bull Salzburg.
Bonuses are said to be up for grabs if such a deal can be put in place, but Rangnick has laughed off those reports.
He said: “£10 million [$13m] for Haaland, £10m for [Kylian] Mbappe, £10m for [Robert] Lewandowski and £10m for [Joshua] Kimmich.
“This is nonsense. There is no such clause in my contract. There is little point in speculating over new players. I know what kind of player he is, but in the meantime, the whole world has realised how good the player is.
“The offensive players we have here, we have so many top players in the offensive department that we don't need to speak about any other player.”
How long will Ralf Rangnick stay with Manchester United?
Ralf Rangnick's first Premier League fixtures as Manchester United manager 👀 pic.twitter.com/HEwwDEGfpm
— GOAL (@goal) December 3, 2021
For now, Rangnick is eager to keep focus on the present as he has only signed up to six months in the dugout before shifting into an advisory role.
He said of his position: “The people who I've spoken with, they have been very clear that it is a six-month role. We have never spoken about what will happen in the summer.
MORE: Why Man Utd hired Rangnick over other candidates
“If they will speak about me with that, we will see. if they ask me about my opinion, I might make the same recommendation that I did at RB Leipzig twice, that it might be better to work with me for one year.
“It's not unusual that after a long, successful spell, the club needs to find a new pathway. The club has had no continuity in signing new players and sticking to the DNA of the club.
"In the future, the board members and my self have the same opinion. It's important not to have many changes in management.”
What is Ralf Rangnick's approach?
Victory over Arsenal has lifted United back into seventh in the Premier League , three points adrift of the top four and Champions League qualification.
Rangnick is hoping to make the Red Devils upwardly mobile during his tenure, but is aware that there are a number of issues to be addressed.
He added on his philosophy: “It's about winning games and, in the end, I'm very ambitious. We want to make the most successful season that is possible.
"Right now, we have to be realistic. The difference between us and the top three is big, but let's see.
MORE: The history and coaching philosophy of Rangnick
“The major target for me is just to bring more balance to the team. We conceded two goals yesterday [against Arsenal] and if you look at the total of number of goals conceded, it is on average of two a game.
"That is just too much. Those are not the kind of games you need every day. In football to me, it's to minimise the coincidence factor.
“It can only go game by game, step by step. You have to make sure you have the biggest chance to win the next game then step by step. Let the players follow and buy into the idea that I can offer them on how we want to play in the future.
“Pep [Guardiola] has been at City for three years, Jurgen [Klopp] for five, Thomas [Tuchel] only came in February, but in time-wise, they're a little ahead of us in the way they want to develop. I'm more than happy with the players we have here.”
