Ralph Rangnick reaches England, ready to become Manchester United manager - Reports

German tactician Ralph Rangnick is already in England ahead of his unveiling in Manchester, according to Russian publication championat.com.

Rangnick is set to take over at Old Trafford on a short six-month contract until May, when United will look to bring in a permanent replacement. Thereafter, the German will take on a behind-the-scenes advisory role for a further two years.

Ralph Rangnick was recently appointed as Lokomotiv Moscow's Head of Sports and Development some three months ago. But the Russian outfit has since allowed him to leave his post, paving the way for the Carrington gig.

Lokomotiv is expected to announce Rangnick's departure today, November 26, 2021.

Rangnick's coaching career

RB Salzburg v RB Leipzig - UEFA Europa League - Group B

Rangnick started his coaching journey at the tender age of 25 when he became player-coach at his hometown club, Viktoria Backnang.

He has also managed VfB Stuttgart II, TSV Lippoldsweiler, SC Korb, VfB Stuttgart U19, Reutlingen 05, Ulm 1846, VfB Stuttgart, Hannover 96, Schalke 04, 1899 Hoffenheim, and RB Leipzig between 1985 and 2019.

He had two stints at both Schalke 04 and RB Leipzig.

Rangnick also has several achievements under his belt, including lifting the under-19 Bundesliga trophy with VfB Stuttgart in1991. In the 2000-2001 season, he won the UEFA Intertoto Cup and reached the semifinals of the DFB-Pokal while coaching the VfB Stuttgart senior team.

The German was fired by VfB Stuttgart for poor form in the Bundesliga and was soon roped in by Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga 2 on 23 May 2001. He led them to Bundesliga promotion the same year, after being out for 13 years. He was however fired in March 2004, again owing to a string of poor results in the league.

In the 2004–05 season Rangnick, who was then with Schalke 04, led the German side to the DFB-Pokal final, losing 2-1 to Bayern Munich. Die Knappen also finished second in the Bundesliga to qualify for the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League. Rangnick enjoyed further success at Schalke 04 when he deafeated Stuttgart 1–0 to secure the 2005 DFL-Ligapokal.

Unfortunately, Rangnick was once again fired by S04 for unacceptable results in the league. He was handed a new job by TSG 1899 Hoffenheim for the 2006-2007 season.

His managerial acumen shone through as the club was promoted to the second tier for the first time in its history. They proceeded to win instant promotion to the Bundesliga by virtual of a second-place position in the 2007-2008 Bundesliga 2.

They also reached the quarterfinals of the DFB-Pokal and achieved a similar feat the following season. In January 2011, Rangnick relinquished his managerial role at Hoffenheim, citing the sale of Luiz Gustavo to Bayern Munich.

He was subsequently announced as Schalke 04 manager in March 2011, for his second stint with the Royal Blues. He won the 2011 DFL-Supercup by defeating Borussia Dortmund in a shootout.

Despite considerable achievements elsewhere, the 63-year-old's most notable work is with the Red Bull clubs. This is what Manchester United will have looked at when deciding on the most suitable candidate to steer the ship after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's turbulent era.

Rangnick was first appointed to the Red Bull set in 2012 as director of football for RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig. He subsequently transitioned to the RB Leipzig managerial role in 2015-16 and 2018-19.

Both clubs have enjoyed tremendous growth in that period, whilst exhibiting next-gen football flair attributed to Rangnick's Gegenpressing methods.

The German achieved the Herculean task of gaining promotion from the fifth tier of German football to the Bundesliga in May 2016. They finished second in the 2016-2017 edition and are now perennial participants in the Champions League.

Their Austrian counterparts, Red Bull Salzburg, have lifted the Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Cup multiple times. They are also formidable opponents in the Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

In 2019 Reb Bull rewarded Rangnick with a Head of Sport and Development for Red Bull GmbH position to oversee football activities for all Reb Bull clubs.

Rangnick's Chelsea connection

The former RB Leipzig coach famously turned down Chelsea's Marina Granovskaia when he was approached to replace Frank Lampard. Rangnick was not happy to be appointed as interim manager.

He told the Times about the incident:

"I said: I would like to come and work with you, but I can’t do it for four months. I’m not an interim coach. To the media and players you would be the ‘four-month manager’, a lame duck, from day one."

Ralph Rangnick's Manchester United contract is subject to a work permit. So he will probably be in the stands when the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Cavani face Chelsea on sunday.