Manchester United could reportedly have an issue on their hands if they decide to sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and replace him with German coach Ralf Rangnick.
The calls are growing louder for Solskjaer to be shown the door after United suffered a dismal 2-0 defeat to bitter rivals Manchester City on Saturday.
An own goal by Eric Bailly followed by a scruffy close-range finish from Bernardo Silva were enough to do the damage at Old Trafford, with boos ringing around the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ at full-time.
The match gave a perfect indication of the massive gulf in class between the two clubs. To that end, there is growing belief that United will have to change managers to close the gap.
A number of names have been mentioned as successors to the Norwegian. They include the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Brendan Rodgers, Luis Enrique, Erik Ten Hag, Graham Potter, etc.
However, one slightly left-field appointment could be that of the experienced Ralf Rangnick. The German is currently head of sports and development at Russian outfit Lokomotiv Moscow.
Rangnick hinted he would be interested in a role at United in a Times interview back in 2019. And according to German publication BILD he remains tempted by the position.
But a report in The Independent has provided a key reason why the deal may be prevented from happening.
They claim that if the 63-year-old did step in for Solskjaer on a temporary basis, he would then want a behind-the-scenes role once a permanent boss was appointed. And that is not something that United would be able to guarantee.
The report adds that this is due to the fact that any future director role may complicate the appointment of a manager who would have no interest in working under anyone and would want complete control in his position.
It leaves United in a difficult situation, particularly with life under Solskjaer proving a challenge.