Ralf Rangnick agrees a six-month deal to take over at Manchester United - and the German could then stay on for two years as a consultant once Red Devils bring in Mauricio Pochettino from PSG 

• Man United have agreed terms with Ralf Rangnick to be their interim manager 
• United are on the hunt for a new manager after sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 
• The Red Devils are seeking an interim boss to take charge for the rest of the term
• Rangnick will take over for six months before taking up a consultancy position 
• He is known as the 'Godfather of German football' for his innovative coaching 
• The 63-year-old helped transform RB Leipzig and Salzburg as technical director 

Ralf Rangnick is set to become Manchester United’s interim manager until the end of the season after agreeing terms over a six-month contract at Old Trafford.

The 63-year-old German coach is head of sports and development at Lokomotiv Moscow, and United are in talks with the Russian club to secure his release.

Sources say that an agreement has yet to be reached between the two clubs – with United respectful that Lokomotiv had a Europa League game at home to Lazio last night – but it is expected to be confirmed.

Rangnick, who will stay on at United for a further two years in a consultancy role as part of the deal, still needs a work permit so caretaker boss Michael Carrick will remain in charge for Sunday’s trip to Chelsea.

United have chosen Rangnick as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s replacement from a shortlist that included Ernesto Valverde, Lucien Favre, Rudi Garcia and Paulo Fonseca.

Rangnick has a good relationship with the Old Trafford hierarchy having previously spoken to the club before they appointed Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho. He also interviewed for the Everton job before Carlo Ancelotti took over at Goodison Park in December 2019.

He has maintained links with senior figures at Old Trafford and, in particular, the club’s director of football John Murtough.

Rangnick is a leading advocate of the gegenpressing approach that influenced a generation of German coaches including Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann. 

He has previously coached Stuttgart, Hannover, Hoffenheim and Schalke, having made his name by leading Ulm into the Bundesliga for the first time in their history.

Rangnick also had two stints in charge of RB Leipzig after being appointed as director of football in 2012 as the club rose to the top-flight from the fourth tier of German football.

He has only won one major trophy as a manager – the German Cup in 2011 with Schalke – but steered the same club to the Champions League semi-finals in 2011 when they lost 6-1 on aggregate to United. 

Rangnick joined Lokomotiv on a three-year contract in July, and the consultancy role at United ensures that he is compensated for the remainder of that deal.

United are looking for an experienced figure to bring stability and momentum for the rest of the season after ending Solskjaer’s three-year reign at the weekend, and feel that Rangnick fits the bill.

His first game in charge is likely to be against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Thursday or Crystal Palace at home three days later, with Carrick continuing as caretaker until then after winning his first game in charge against Villarreal on Tuesday night.

United were committed to installing an interim boss after deciding it would be too problematic to prise Mauricio Pochettino from Paris Saint-Germain in mid-season.

Pochettino made it clear that he would interested in making the switch now, but United put out feelers through intermediaries and were told that any approach would be met with firm resistance from PSG. 

The French club were determined not to disrupt their season, but may be more open to letting Pochettino leave in the summer when he will be the No.1 contender to land the United job on a permanent basis.

Former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is already being tipped as the Argentine’s likely successor in Paris when he ends a sabbatical in the summer, having indicated that he would not be interested in the United job.

Pochettino has worked with sporting directors at PSG and Tottenham, and it’s understood that he would be comfortable working with Rangnick in a similar role.

In an interview with Coaches' Voice, Rangnick explained how during his time as Leipzig and Salzburg technical director, he placed a huge emphasis on scouting and developing players. He stunned bosses when he laid out his plans to sell on players for double figures within two years of their arrival.

The 63-year-old prioritised signing younger players and recruited Naby Keita, Sadio Mane and Kevin Kampl early on. He also focused on 'club building' rather than 'team building', attempting to form a stronger link between the club and its fans. 

Relations at United between the club and fans have been fraught in recent years, with supporters storming Old Trafford late last season to protest the Glazers' ownership in the wake of the European Super League farce.

Nicknamed 'The Professor', Rangnick is credited with devising the Gegenpress and has proved an inspiration for Premier League managers Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel. 

'I was honoured when Jurgen Klopp suggested that I might be the best German coach,' Rangnick told the same outlet. 'He and I have known each other for over 20 years, and we certainly appreciate one another.

'It's common knowledge that we have a pretty similar idea of how football should be played, and I think that this is the reason he said those nice things about me

'My Hoffenheim team played against Jurgen’s Borussia Dortmund back in 2008. We beat them 4-1 and Jurgen said a week later, before his next game, that our style was exactly the kind of football that he wanted to play with Dortmund.'

Rangnick also gave Chelsea boss Tuchel his first coaching role in football - as Under-15 coach at German side Ulm after he was forced into an early retirement through injury.  

Although committing to two separate managerial appointments is a peculiar strategy, the Old Trafford hierarchy are said to be satisfied that an interim head coach would provide stability and momentum while giving them the freedom to install a permanent replacement at the end of the season.

It also suggests that United know their preferred target will not be available until the summer — whether that is Pochettino or someone else. Ideally, they would have kept Solskjaer in charge until then but United's alarming dip in form forced the club into a change of plan. 

'You know what this club means to me and what I wanted to achieve here,' Solskjaer said in an emotional farewell.

'For the club, for the fans, for the players, for the staff. I wanted us to take the next step to challenge for the league, to win trophies and I only think it's right that it comes from the horse's mouth.

'It's been a ball. Let's keep supporting this team, you've got to stick with them. They [the fans] have been amazing with me since one of my first kicks of the ball, I scored with one of the first ones, until now.

'I'm sure we'll meet again because if there's anywhere I'm going to watch football games, that's at Old Trafford.'