Huge changes are afoot at Manchester United after the club reportedly met two major demands of incoming interim manager Ralf Rangnick.
The Red Devils are ready to turn to the wise, old German sage as they look towards a bright new era. The Ole Gunnar Solskjaer regime was finally ended on Sunday after their embarrassing 4-1 loss to Watford last weekend. And it seems they have very quickly settled on Rangnick as a replacement.
The German is known as an inspiration to many of the Premier League’s current coaches. Indeed, Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel are both disciples of Rangnick’s football philosophies.
Indeed, the 63-year-old is ready to make major changes to United and it will all start on the training field. As per a report, United are already working with Rangnick ahead of his appointment to implement a number of changes.
The first major change is in training. United, under the instruction of the German will provide Ralf’s infamous countdown clock.
As per James Ducker, Rangnick will introduce the very visible ticker at Carrington training sessions to encourage a high-intensity workout.
The German is seen as the Godfather of the gegenpress, a style much-used by Jurgen Klopp. The high-intensity pressing game has been a major facet of the Merseysiders’ success under Klopp.
But a more intense version of that now looks likely at United.
Under Rangnick’s plans, he will also install an ‘eight-second role’ at Carrington. This requires players to win the ball within eight seconds before producing a shot on goal within 10 seconds of successfully reclaiming possession.
Players will also be able to hear the countdown clock during their drills which he hopes will increase intensity and produce quick results.
And at a stage of the season where United need it most, the change is likely to shake-up United’s training sessions in the extreme.