Ralf Rangnick, the architect of the rise of RB Leipzig and the man widely regarded as the forebear of much of modern German soccer, is set to be named Manchester United’s interim manager following the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, according to multiple reports in the British media.
The 63-year-old German, who is currently head of sports and development at Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow, will be given a two-year consultancy role once United find a permanent manager, the reports said. Rangnick will be interim manager on a six-month contract if the deal goes through.
A source at United said nothing has been finalised and discussions are ongoing.
Rangnick, however, will not be in the dugout for the Premier League game against Chelsea on Sunday.
He came to prominence by guiding Hoffenheim — a team with little or no history — from the lower reaches of German soccer into the Bundesliga, and by teaching and playing a fast-paced style of soccer that formed the theoretical basis for the likes of Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel. To many, Rangnick is the godfather of the German pressing game, or Gegenpressing, that now permeates most top-level European soccer.
