Man Utd player gives Rangnick nickname in ‘toxic mix of backbiting and spitefulness’

Joe Williams
Man Utd boss Ralf Rangnick goes over to clap the fans

One Man Utd player has reportedly given Ralf Rangnick the nickname ‘specs’ behind his back with the dressing room in desperate need of fumigation.

Rangnick replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November after the Norwegian oversaw a number of poor performances early on this season.

However, the German has failed to turn things around with many onlookers feeling it has only got worse under the former RB Leipzig manager.


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Man Utd missed out on Champions League qualification and just hung on to sixth place – and a place in the Europa League – after losing 1-0 on the final day of the season to Crystal Palace.

Erik ten Hag has taken over from Rangnick now the season has finished and the Manchester Evening News claim that the Dutchman ‘will have to fumigate the dressing room’ as his first job.

There have been rumours for much of the season that the atmosphere in the Man Utd camp is rotten with Paul Scholes even revealing that Jesse Lingard told him it was a “disaster”.

The MEN adds that there is a ‘toxic mix of backbiting and spitefulness’ and that ‘those close to one player referred to Rangnick as “specs” behind his back, craven playground bully behaviour that should be rooted out, not rewarded with a new contract.’

After they lost to Palace on Sunday, Rangnick admitted that there was a lack of cohesion between the players with team spirit said to be an issue.

“Team spirit, yes this is also an issue,” Rangnick said in his post-match interview. “I think this team could do with more cohesion, there could be more togetherness on the pitch.

“This is also important when we think of new players – when the board together with the manager are thinking about new players – that we make sure they are not only players that have the quality to strengthen the squad but they are players who will invest in the team spirit.”

The Red Devils were fifth in the table before they were knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid and went on to win only two of their remaining nine matches.

Rangnick added: “I think the big goal of some of our top players was the Champions League and after this defeat to Atletico you could literally feel it in training that we did not have the same level of energy, focus and concentration in training.

“In the league if you are not playing at the best or highest level, and this also happened before I arrived, even against bottom teams like Watford you can concede four goals and this can happen.”