Rangnick: integrate Ronaldo into his gegenpressing system will NOT be a problem

Ralf Rangnick is ready to stay on as Manchester United manager beyond the end of this season if his six-month stint as interim boss is a success.

Rangnick is contracted to work for United in a consultancy role for a further two years, but the German admitted on Friday that he could remain in the dugout, having twice taken over as coach of RB Leipzig while serving as the club’s director of football.

‘Right now, I’m fully aware they (United) might be looking for a new manager,’ said Rangnick at his first press conference at Old Trafford.

‘If they will then speak with me about that, we will see. Maybe if they ask my opinion and everything goes well and we develop the team, I might even make the same recommendation to the board that I did at Leipzig twice when I recommended it might be a good idea to keep working with me for one year.

‘I can work in both positions. Right now, I feel and think and will very much want to work as a coach, head coach and team manager. This is what I’ve done in, I would say, 90 per cent of the past 25 years in my career.

‘But this is all hypothetical. The people with whom I have spoken so far have been very clear that we’re talking about a six-and-a-half-month role as a manager currently. We have never spoken about what will happen in the summer.’

Rangnick turned down a temporary role at Chelsea earlier this year before his compatriot Thomas Tuchel took over at Stamford Bridge, but he said the security of a longer contract and United’s stature convinced him to leave Lokomotiv Moscow.

‘When Chelsea contacted me, we spoke only about the interim manager for four months without any perspective to work together long-term,’ he added. ‘Here we are talking about six and a half months, so we only have a third of the games played in the Premier League and we have agreed on a two-year advisory role.

‘When a club like Manchester United contacts you for such a role you cannot possibly turn it down.

‘It’s obviously the biggest club (I’ve been at). It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world, if not the biggest. Of course, it’s a massive challenge.’

Rangnick revealed that he spoke to his predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer about the job, and also made an unsuccessful attempt to persuade caretaker boss Michael Carrick not to quit the club.

‘I spoke with Ole last Sunday before the Chelsea game,’ said Rangnick. ‘He was very generous to spend one and a half hours on the phone with me telling me his insight and details about the team.

‘I met with Michael two days ago and had a conversation with him for more than an hour. I was trying to convince him to stay on board, but he had obviously taken the decision weeks ago that he needed a break after 30 years in professional football.

‘I’m more than happy to work with the current coaching staff because I need their experience and expertise regarding the squad. I will try to find people who can join us but due to the Brexit regulations it’s not easy.

‘Many of my former colleagues are in long-term contracts with big clubs so are not available right now.’

New York Red Bulls boss Gerhard Struber has been linked with the job of assistant manager.

Rangnick was at Old Trafford on Thursday night to see Cristiano Ronaldo score twice in a 3-2 win over Arsenal, and insisted that it will not be a problem adapting the Portugal star into his fabled gegenpressing approach.

‘You always have to adapt your style or idea of football to the players you have available, not vice versa,’ he said. ‘Having seen Cristiano yesterday, 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 it’s about how we can develop the whole team, not only Cristiano. What I saw from Cristiano, he is more than willing to do that, to put his input into the team. His team-mates will have to do the same.

‘It’s not about pressing for pressing’s sake, it’s about control. This is the major target.’

Rangnick rubbished speculation that he will receive a £10million bonus if he helps United sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, having played a part in the striker’s move from Molde to Red Bull Salzburg in 2019.

‘Let me have a look,’ he joked. ‘OK, £10m for Erling Haaland, £10m for Kylian Mbappe, £10m for Robert Lewandowski and £10m for Joshua Kimmich.

‘This is nonsense, there are no such clauses in my contract. I’m more than happy with the strike power we have here.’

Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s transfer from Juventus is being looked into as part of a wider probe of the Italian club’s finances.

Sportsmail revealed earlier this week that Fabio Paratici, now Tottenham director of football, is among the individuals under investigation.