Former Man United interim manager Ralf Rangnick ‘reveals he identified Erling Haaland, Dusan Vlahovic, Christopher Nkunku, Josko Gvardiol, Luis Diaz and Alvaro Morata as transfer targets… but the club refused winter signings’
- Ralf Rangnick handed Manchester United a star-studded wish list last January
- The German guided United to their worst ever Premier League points tally – 58
- He presented the club with six targets but they ended up making no signings
Ralf Rangnick has reportedly revealed the star-studded shopping list that he gave Manchester United in order to reinforce their ailing side last January, only to be denied by the club’s owners.
BILD journalist Christian Falk has reported that Rangnick wanted to bolster his side and had identified the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Christopher Nkunku, Luis Diaz and Erling Haaland, only for United to turn down his request.
Rangnick’s Red Devils racked up a club record low 58 points in the 2021-22 campaign, and ultimately failed to bring in any reinforcements over the January window, despite the German manager reportedly identifying several options.
The German, now the manager of Austria, said Nkunku and his Leipzig team-mate Josko Gvardiol were ‘realistic’ at the time for United but the Glazer family opted not to pursue them any further.
Ralf Rangnick handed Manchester United a star-studded transfer wish list last January
‘There was no such [transfer] dossier, and it was never wanted by the club,’ Rangnick said, speaking to German outlet BILD. ‘But even without such a script, it was clear to everyone that there was a need in many areas.
‘That’s why we were already discussing players like Josko Gvardiol and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig. Those were names that were realistic.
‘We also talked about Alvaro Morata, Luis Diaz, Dusan Vlahovic and, as I said, Erling Haaland when they were still on the market. But the club decided at that time to rebuild the team under the new coach.’
Erling Haaland was one of a number of forward recruits the German manager had his eye on
With the exception of the Spanish No 9, the other five players all went on to have strong seasons, and would surely have worked wonders in helping the Old Trafford side rescue their prospects.
Croatian…