Ralf Rangnick 'has set his sights on signing £50m Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn' as German plans his Manchester United rebuild... with futures of Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard unclear

• Ralf Rangnick will take charge of his first Manchester United game on Sunday  
• The German supremo has taken over interim charge from Michael Carrick 
• Rangnick will look to add fresh faces in January to lift a glum Old Trafford mood
• John McGinn is reportedly being considered, though could cost £50million 

A shake-up awaits in January for Manchester United's squad, and Ralf Rangnick is reportedly targeting Aston Villa's John McGinn to inject new energy in the team.  

The German coach will be in the Old Trafford dugout for his first game in charge of Cristiano Ronaldo and Co when Crystal Palace visit on Sunday. He'll understand a whole lot more about the task ahead after 90 minutes against Patrick Vieira's team. 

Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek, Jesse Lingard and Fred's days could be numbered at United, and the midfield is the key area for improvement. 

United are reportedly keen on McGinn's cool head, pressing and talent on the ball, and the Scot is on United's radar for January, according to the Sun.  

The 20-time Premier League champions last showed an interest in McGinn back in 2019, and Villa were reportedly demanding £50m. 

The Scot is a central part of Villa's team and Steven Gerrard may be reluctant to lose such an established and influential player, who played a pivotal role in their return to the Premier League. 

Particularly if Sir Alex Ferguson gets involved, Villa will likely stand little chance of persuading the midfielder to stay if United come calling. 

McGinn has three-and-a-half years on his contract, which he penned a year ago. The 27-year-old has scored 16 and assisted 20 in 124 games for Villa, across a four-year stint.  

United have sunk to seventh, 14 points behind league leaders Manchester City after just 14 games. They can close that gap to 11 with victory over Palace. 

Carrick managed to steady the ship after United's harrowing 4-1 defeat to Watford sent Ole Gunnar Solskjaer packing, beating Villarreal, holding Chelsea and edging Arsenal.  

Jamie Carragher believes Rangnick will find it tough to get United back into the Champions League places after the catastrophic end to Solskjaer's reign.