"I’m a different kind of generation" - Ralf Rangnick urges Manchester United stars to communicate with him directly instead of using cryptic social media posts

Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has weighed in on his players' use of social media to air grievances following recent incidents involving Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard. The tactician believes it is better to engage in direct communication rather than use social platforms to express feelings.

When asked if players should communicate privately, the 63-year-old said, as quoted by Manchester Evening News:

"It’s always better. I never ever read or communicate by those social media accounts. I don’t exist there (on social media) and wouldn’t have time to do that, so therefore it’s always better and I always communicate with the players directly.

"I did that with Anthony Martial and Jesse but maybe I’m a different kind of generation. My generation didn’t grow up with those kinds of things. I can even remember a time when there were no mobile phones or internet, so for me it’s always better to communicate directly."

Martial refuted Rangnick's claims that he made himself unavailable for selection in a social media post in January. The same happened with Lingard, who also denied asking for time off, contrary to the tactician's claims earlier this month.

Meanwhile, the Manchester United manager believes it is now time to move on from those incidents and look forward to what lies ahead. According to him, there's no reason to discuss them anymore.

He said:

"But again it’s time now to look ahead. I know in both cases what I said to the players and what happened so for me there’s no reason to discuss this anymore."

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How Manchester United have coped under Ralf Rangnick so far

Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard have both been involved in social media drama with Ralf Rangnick recently

Ralf Rangnick was appointed as Manchester United's interim manager in December last year. Under his watch, the Red Devils have played 11 games across all competitions so far, claiming six victories, three draws and two defeats.

The Premier League giants have picked up 21 points since they appointed the German coach, averaging 1.91 points per game. They have also scored 22 goals and conceded 16 so far.