To sign off, here’s Jamie Jackson’s take on the Ralf Rangnick regime. Thanks for sticking with us all day.

Some real football-man respect paid to Brendan Rodgers by Steven Gerrard; that’s because the former Liverpool manager and captain face each other on Super Sunday when Aston Villa host Leicester.

Brendan is a top coach. He came in at Liverpool at a time when we needed someone like him in terms of a modern coach who was going to take us forward, but also play some attractive football.

I think the biggest thing was his delivery on the training pitch. You could see quite clearly that he had got a lot of experience and he was a good manager to play for in terms of a personal relationship.

It would have been very naive from my point of view not to try and learn as much as I can and what I could from Brendan, and I continued to do it even when we never worked together because obviously I came up against him in Scotland and I have seen how well he has done in the Premier League, which is certainly no surprise to me.

He is one of many managers who I watch closely and, in my position, when you are new and starting out and trying to gain that experience then they are the type of people you try to learn from. There is a mutual respect there. He always helped me as a player and I’ll always remember that, but once the whistle goes, we’ll be ready to compete for the points.

Today’s Fiver on epic banter at the Euros, and the fall-out from it.

Some more Rafa Benítez from his press conference this morning. Everton play Arsenal on Monday.

Now is a time we have to stick together, go into January in the best position we can. You can complain about our mistakes, quality, things like that - but not commitment. We must work really hard.

Why am I still positive? Because we did it at the beginning. You can’t be a bad or good manager in one week. If the team was really good, signed two wingers, made crosses - we can’t be wrong in everything after six weeks.

My main thing is to concentrate on football issues, analyse the mistakes. I don’t want to blame individuals, we win or lose as a group. We know the problems, the club has been changing managers for a while and it wasn’t changing the situation.

West Ham have slipped up, while Chelsea were a bit lucky against Watford. What a London derby awaits us.

Arrest made after missile thrown at Hearts player. Per PA Media.

A man has been arrested after missiles were thrown at Hearts winger Barrie McKay at Celtic Park on Thursday. McKay was struck on the back with what appeared to be a plastic bottle of juice, and other items were thrown down towards him on several occasions as he prepared to take corners in front of the standing section.

The former Rangers player made referee Bobby Madden aware of the problem during his team’s 1-0 defeat but did not appear to be hurt and carried on playing.

A police spokesperson said: “A 24-year-old man has been arrested in connection with items thrown on to the pitch during a match at Celtic Park on the evening of Thursday, December 2. A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal and further enquiries are ongoing.”

A spokesman for the Scottish Professional Football League said the league was awaiting the match delegate’s report.

Which brings us to Aubameyang, who has four league goals for the season and is plainly struggling. There was a moment early on when he closed down Victor Lindelöf to help Arsenal win the ball in a good area, which hinted at him driving the team. It was an isolated highlight, his evening marked by a strange scruffiness with his finishing; a lack of power and conviction. He failed to beat De Gea in a one-on-one on 78 minutes, although an offside flag would spare his embarrassment. Nevertheless it was reflective of his low confidence.

Pep Guardiola has lavished praise on Claudio Ranieri, who he will face as Watford manager on Saturday evening.

Football has to be grateful we still have important people like Claudio Ranieri. What he’s done in his career is amazing. Of course Leicester is the benchmark but with what he has done in Spain, Italy, France, everywhere, I admire this type of person. After they lost to Liverpool he was confident to say, ‘If they follow me we will win’. I admire a lot that passion and energy. It will be a pleasure to see him again.

Only four weeks until the transfer window slams open!

Kevin De Bruyne back for City? Watch out, Watford.

Here’s the scorelines between the teams since the 2016-17 season

0-6, 3-1, 1-2, 3-1, 6-0, 8-0, 0-4. And every one of them is a City win.

Here is a slice of life in Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, the world’s largest for Syrian refugees, and a story that follows the friendship of football-mad Fawzi and Mahmoud from their teenage years to early adulthood.

Wolves have stopped scoring goals, but Liverpool haven’t.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is still at least a couple of weeks away from being in contention to play for Everton. He has not played this season after suffering a thigh injury in August. “I was talking with the physio and fitness coach and he is getting better but still a couple of weeks minimum,” said Rafa Benítez, who at this rate may never get to play DLC in a match. “We have to be very careful with him as he’s had two injuries so we want to be sure he is getting stronger and well and now is the time to progress and he is doing really well.”

Yerry Mina, who has not featured for two months because of a hamstring problem, is on the verge of a return with Everton set to host Arsenal on Monday.

Sports Quiz of the Week is here, and honestly, I got 9/10 on this. That has much to do with my current work/life balance but beat that if you can.

Antonio Conte has backed Harry Kane to rediscover his goalscoring form for Spurs. Kane has scored just once in 12 Premier League matches but Conte backs his man. Conte said:

First of all, I’m sure Harry is happy if we win and he doesn’t score. Because Tottenham is the first thought for us and Harry. It’s important to have chances to score and we’re improving a lot in this aspect. I’m sure Harry is going to score many goals. I’m sure he’s going to have a good performance in the same way he had against Brentford against every team we play. I’m very pleased for the way that he’s playing. Then I know the striker wants to score but we want to give him many chances to score. I think we’re on the right path to do this type of situation.

It’s not quite happened for Leon Bailey at Aston Villa, and it looks like it won’t be happening for a while yet. He’s done his thigh muscle, having hobbled off during the 2-1 home defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday night.

“Unfortunately for Leon he has had a scan and that has confirmed there is a muscle injury in the quad area,” said Steven Gerrard. “It’s going to be quite a long one so he’s going to be missing for a number of weeks. It is difficult to put a date on it right now but we won’t be seeing him before Christmas.”

That’s it from me. I’ll hand over to John Brewin to take you through to the end of the day. Thanks for your time, Rob.

Great news for Manchester City fans as Kevin De Bruyne is back in contention for Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off at Watford after recovering from coronavirus. Kyle Walker, John Stones and Ilkay Gündogan are also available after missing the win at Villa Park and Aymeric Laporte returns from suspension. PA Media reports that Guardiola was a contented man at his press conference. “It is much better than before the game against Aston Villa when we didn’t have everyone,” he stated.

“Where is the history of my club,” Patrice Evra said on TV last night in a reminder that not everyone is over the moon with Ralf Rangnick’s appointment as interim manager at United. What do you think?

Football Weekly Extra is here and this week the main topics of conversation are Michael Carrick, Bernardo Silva, Lionel Messi and Steve Claridge. What a set of players?

Arsenal spurned a great opportunity to ruin Rangnick’s arrival last night, and Thomas Partey has admitted his own form must improve. “For me, I have to keep on doing my best, keep trying, keep improving, try to come back to my best, because the team needs me,” he told the Arsenal website. But the 28-year-old in convinced Mikel Arteta’s side are a growing force …

“I think we’re improving each day and it’s going to be good. If we want to be at the top it’s normal that we have to fight, we have to be under control and try to win the games. I think the team came out to win [at Manchester United]. We did everything we could, we played well, we created a lot of chances and I think that we were unlucky.

Our writers’ match previews of the Premier League games are starting to roll in. Looks like Eddie Howe is gonna stick with with his attacking formation as he searches for Newcastle’s first win of the season, while Neal Maupay will get the chance to back up his wonder goal at West ham with another start up front at Southampton …

Thanks Dave, and hello again everyone. Taffarel eh? Why stop there Jürgen? Why not get Edmundo and Romário in to help the strikers. It would sure be painful for Manchester United fans. Just click the watch on YouTube button here for the memories. Sorry Gary …

Before I disappear down a rabbit hole of Brazil World Cup goalies, I’ll hand over to Rob Bleaney.

By the way, who remembers their 1986 stopper Carlos? A man Lawrie McMenemy memorably described as looking like a ringer for Lennie Bennett.

Another line from the Liverpool press conference is that the Reds have added Brazil goalkeeping great Claudio Taffarel to the staff.

Remember him from the 1998 World Cup?

However, Jurgen Klopp says it is to work under main goalkeeping coach John Achterberg not to replace him as the Dutchman has just signed a new contract.

Klopp explained: “We spoke to Ali (Brazilian Alisson Becker) and he was quite pleased. He loved the idea as well. He’s a brilliant guy.

“And John Achterberg has renewed his contract by the way until 2024. He’s the head of the goalie department.”

Excellent feature here from Paul MacInnes on England’s blind football team.

“If you have experienced blind football, perhaps the five-a-side competition that is part of the Paralympics, you will know it is mesmerising. At the top level, it is characterised by sinuous dribbling and rasping finishes. It is a game with a rhythm of its own. But to watch it, as a sighted person, gives only a partial sense of its complexity and challenges. It is a sport, its advocates insist, which offers transformative effects for those who play.”

Brighton boss Graham Potter says he has to resist the temptation to give more minutes to Tariq Lamptey.

The fans are desperate for the Chelsea youth product to get extra game time, especially after watching recent performances.

Lamptey gave Leeds the runaround for 75 minutes in last weekend’s 0-0 draw before being withdrawn and then came off the bench to set up Neal Maupay’s equaliser at West Ham.

But with the 21-year-old right-back still coming back to full strength after a serious hamstring injury which put him out for nine months, Potter is erring on the side of caution.

“We’re going through a period where we’re going to play lots of games in a short space of time so that’s the only thing that’s going to stop the regularity of Tariq,” said Potter.

“We all know his qualities and what he brings to the team. It’s just the close proximity of games will challenge him and us in terms of how much he plays and when he plays.”

Here’s Potter on opposite number Ralph Hasenhüttl ahead of the south-coast derby against Southampton.

“I like Southampton, I like what they do as there is real clarity there. You can see what they’re trying to do, they’re really impressive in the build-up and how they get into the final third.

“I am sure they will get better and better as they adjust to each other, with Danny Ings moving on, the identity of how they defend and press is really good.

“It’s always a tough game, but another one we are looking forward to. It’s three games in a week for both teams, both have had a busy schedule.”

As the transfer window gets ever closer, here’s some analysis from Ben McAleer of WhoScored on which players should be in the crosshairs of Premier League clubs.

Jurgen Klopp presser coming up soon but, in the meantime, here’s the ‘Alpine Klopp’, Southampton’s Ralph Hasenhüttl.

As he approaches three years in charge, the Saints boss was asked to review his time at the club. It seems some realism has set in.

“You want me to give a summary of all that in one minute!

“I’ve been here a long time now yes, and I knew that it would be tough.

“I was coming from a Champions League club (RB Leipzig) and now I’m at a club where the main goal is to stay in the league.

“It’s a survival fight every day, every week, with the limits we have with a club. But we’ve made some good progress.

“Even if you sell players for a lot of money we are trying to rebuild the team, this is the way we have to go.

“This was a change in my mind also, it took a little bit to understand this, to be honest.

“When we were coming here we had targets of bringing the club as high in the table as possible, maybe reaching European places.

“But then you see how strong the league is, you see the potential, and there’s another team coming now in Newcastle with absolutely more financial potential than we have.

“But the job is not affected by this hard work, it’s still fantastic, I enjoy my job every day, and it’s fantastic to work at this club with my staff and this team.

“We do the best to bring good games to the supporters, to make them proud of our team and our club.”

His immediate challenge is a south-coast derby against Graham Potter’s Brighton.

“We’ve conceded eight goals in three games, okay four against red-hot Liverpool, but this is something I thought we had put out of our game and now it’s back on the list of things we have to solve.

“Brighton have a very open-minded manager that picks the best parts of everybody’s games and brings it together.

“They are one of the best organised teams and have made fantastic progress, so I have to say absolute congratulations to my opposite number there.”

And how about life on the south coast?

“My wife and I enjoy life here very much, it’s a wonderful place to live. I love the people, I love the respect they give to you in every part of your life here.

“I really must say that from this part, there’s not that much that I miss. Okay maybe I miss the mountains of Austria, but they are not running away, they are waiting for me.”

Yep, Ralph will always have the mountains.

Eddie Howe is in the hotseat now and the newly-appointed Newcastle boss wants to buck a trend.

The Magpies have won precisely none of their opening 14 Premier League games of the season and that puts them in a hall of shame alongside Swindon, QPR and Sheffield United. Needless to say, none of them had the last laugh as all three were relegated.

So, Eddie, are you up for a bit of miracle working?

“Yes, I am. I’m realistic, but I’m also very, very positive.

“I know it’s going to be extremely difficult – if no team has done it, there’s a reason why they haven’t done it. That’s because it’s incredibly tough.

“But why not be the first? That’s always been my mindset. Why not change history? That’s what we’re going to have to do.

“We’re going to have to do it the hard way, but we’re more than capable.”

Howe has been particularly impressed with Joelinton (no, really). The Brazilian has just 11 goals in 93 appearances so far for Newcastle but has perked up in recent games.

“When you watch a team from afar, you do have an opinion. I always liked him, but now, working closely with him, I like him even more,” said Howe.

“You see the person and the human behind the player. What I see from him is just an incredible guy who really wants to do well.

“He’s had a difficult moment, going to a new club for a big fee, but his resilience and attitude to that has been fantastic. He has had no negative reaction, only eagerness to prove his worth to the team, supporters and club.

“Longer term, I really think he can do that. I see someone who can make a difference for us and is very motivated to do well.”

As for team news ahead of Saturday’s home clash against Burnley, Ciaran Clark is suspended after his red card against Norwich. Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Ritchie are available again after serving bans.

Let’s add some Marcelo Bielsa into the mix. The deep-thinking Argentine brings good news: Patrick Bamford and Luke Ayling are back in the Leeds squad.

Bamford has been out with an ankle injury since mid-September while a knee problem has sidelined Ayling for the same period. Both came through a run-out for the Under-23s on Monday.

Bielsa on Bamford: “Just to say he was a player who scored one goal every two games last season is enough to show his importance.

“And even when he doesn’t score, he’s an important part of how the team functions.”

Leeds are up to 15th - and just one point behind 11th - after Raphinha’s stoppage-time winner from the penalty spot against Crystal Palace on Tuesday gave them a second straight three points.

“To win consecutively fortifies you,” Bielsa said. “When we focus on every game independent of who comes next, given the amount of fixtures we’ve played up until now, the points that we’ve got on the board are few and every fixture is an opportunity to balance our numbers.”

He’s also denied - in a very Bielsa way - a fallout with England midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

“It’s difficult to express yourself over things that didn’t happen, that there’s nothing behind and that are expressed as a reality,” Bielsa said.

“There’s things that correspond to the private part of a relationship so perhaps the media talks about these things that are hidden but this is a next step. This was the spread of something that didn’t happen at all.

“The press, not only do they inform, but they have their legitimate need that what they tell wakes up interest and in that process, on occasion it happens that they invent realities to bring attention.”

Leeds host Brentford this weekend but then play Chelsea and Manchester City away from home, Arsenal at Elland Road and Liverpool at Anfield.

Let the arguments begin...

The FA Cup always throws up unlikely stories so take a read of this piece by Will Unwin ahead of the weekend’s second-round action.

“We look hard to beat”. Imagine a Norwich boss saying that a month ago.

Those are the words of new manager Dean Smith who is unbeaten in three games since taking over. Add in Daniel Farke’s farewell win over Brentford and the Canaries have won two and drawn two of their last four games. Everton would kill for that sort of form.

Here’s Smith on the 1-1 draw with Newcastle on Wednesday: “We look hard to beat, I can’t remember Newcastle having many chances.

“We’ve felt we left some points out there. With Newcastle going down to 10 men after 10 minutes, we could have been better with the ball and we felt we should have performed a lot better. It’s a solid start and we look hard to beat.”

Striker Teemu Pukki netted a superb equaliser at Newcastle but Smith says others need to ease the goalscoring burden on him.

“He needs help. Looking at Teemu and speaking to him you wouldn’t know he is carrying such a weight on his shoulders. He seems a real level-headed, laid-back guy who wants to work hard for the team.

“He’s one who I knew was a good player but you don’t realise how good a player until you actually work with him. His work-rate, the quality of his finishing, the quality of his runs and he sets the tempo at the top for us.

“I’ve been really pleased in what we’ve got. He is setting a standard for the others to follow. But we know we can’t be over-reliant on just one goalscorer in the team. We need goals from other areas.

“We’ve spoken about it, that’s why the importance of set-pieces also comes into play. If we can be a little bit more creative in those areas then we will get goals from other players.

“What helps is he’s had the experience of playing in the Premier League. He’s got the experience of another season in the Championship, where he’s done really well, and he understands his own body. We help him along the way.”

Pukki has five goals this season but just three other Norwich players – Mathias Normann, Andrew Omobamidele and Grant Hanley – have scored in the Premier League.

Burnley boss Sean Dyche has been in front of the press giving hot copy on his team’s progress and Newcastle’s spending power. Here’s what the anti-coat wearer had to say ahead of their trip to St James’ Park.

“We have found a good balance in our performances this season but there is no naivety, it is one loss in eight but also one win in eight so we have to change that side of things.

“You would prefer to be in a situation where you have only lost one in eight, it is a good situation mentally for the players, a reminder of the good work and they know they are not far away.

“Now it is about adding in the detail to win games, we have done it many times before and now it is just about delivery.”

On Eddie Howe: “I am pleased to see him back. I texted him and said I hoped it goes well, although not against us obviously.

“He will still be finding his best route and best mix of players. Long term money is very beneficial, but in the short term you have to find a way to get results. Eddie will know that.”

On Newcastle and the January transfer window: “Most teams hang on and hang on and push the financial margins for obvious reasons because they know they only have a certain window to do the deal.

“It’s very difficult to get deals done early because everyone’s marketing each other’s players and putting their own sales pitch out. It’s not only agents by the way, the clubs do it as well and before you know it it’s on the yellow line at the bottom of Sky (Sports News).

“Then of course you need a player who possibly has a reason to move. Money is obvious of course, or maybe there’s a change of manager or a falling out with the current manager.

“All of these things go into it and you have a very short period to sort this out. There are a lot of people looking at each other’s players, trying to align the deal and the right deals that can matter and not get into a position where you make deals that end up not mattering and can cost a lot of money.

“But maybe they (Newcastle) have got enough money to make things happen because everyone has a price in football. There are clubs I know that will just go: ‘Yeah, okay we’re going to sell’.

“Newcastle might have enough money, teams have done it in the past and they might be one of them. We will have to wait and see.”

Here’s last night’s match report of Manchester United 3-2 Arsenal. David Hytner was at Old Trafford (said in Gary Lineker voice).

In a week when many of us have been absorbed by the Fab Four, the Premier League has continued to be a shootout between the Fab Three. Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool all scored away wins in midweek to move onto 33, 32 and 31 points respectively. It’s seven back to West Ham in fourth.

While Manchester United and Arsenal try and get back to where they once belonged, I have a feeling that Antonio Conte’s Spurs could be the best bets to grab fourth place.

At the other end of the table, Norwich are starting to dig it after two wins and two draws in their last four. But how many matches until Newcastle finally get a win? Maybe they’ll get one after 909.

Elsewhere, Rafa’s not for you Blues following a shocking Merseybeat and Brentford fans will be hoping to dig a Toney as they set off on their long and winding trip to Elland Road.

Grab some tea and toast, cancel your Disney subscription and take a look at this weekend’s Premier League fixtures in full. All times GMT.

Saturday 4th December

West Ham v Chelsea (12.30pm)
Newcastle v Burnley (3pm)
Southampton v Brighton (3pm)
Wolves v Liverpool (3pm)
Watford v Manchester City (5.30pm)

Sunday 5th December

Leeds v Brentford (2pm)
Manchester United v Crystal Palace (2pm)
Tottenham v Norwich (2pm)
Aston Villa v Leicester (4.30pm)

Monday 6th December

Everton v Arsenal (8pm)

Here’s Jamie Jackson’s round-up of the Ralf Rangnick press conference.

It includes the new United boss poo-pooing the idea of a January move for Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.

Let’s widen the lens and look at some talking points on all this weekend’s Premier League fixtures.

Having said Rangnick’s December fixture list looks welcoming, Crystal Palace could prove a tricky first opponent.

Palace took four points off United last season and have won their last two Premier League games at Old Trafford so won’t lack for confidence.

There’s also that pesky stat that Rangnick will want to eradicate sooner rather than later: United have conceded in 15 consecutive home games in all competitions. That’s their worst streak since 1959.

Ralf Rangnick starts his Manchester United mission with the team sat seventh in the Premier League table on 21 points. That’s just three behind what we presume is the target of fourth place. United are currently 10 back from third-placed Liverpool.

Here’s United’s fixture list for the rest of December:

Dec 05: Man Utd v Crystal Palace (Premier League)
Dec 08: Man Utd v Young Boys (Champions League)
Dec 11: Norwich v Man Utd (Premier League)
Dec 14: Brentford v Man Utd (Premier League)
Dec 18: Man Utd v Brighton (Premier League)
Dec 27: Newcastle v Man Utd (Premier League)
Dec 30: Man Utd v Burnley (Premier League)

Not a bad time to take the helm, it seems.

United’s next six Premier League games are against teams who currently sit 11th, 19th, 12th, 9th, 20th and 18th in the table.

Thanks Rob. A bit more on Michael Carrick. Rangnick says he wanted him to stay.

“I had a conversation with Michael for more than an hour and tried to convince him, but he needed a break and I understand his decision,” said Rangnick.

“I am more than happy to work with the current staff because I need their expertise on the current squad.”

And that’s it from me. I’ll pass the baton smoothly over to Dave Tindall for more Rangnick reaction and the countdown to the weekend’s games. Until next time.

Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t seem to be too worried about Ralf Rangnick’s arrival. He’s still the main man at Old Trafford, and he’s already looking ahead to Sunday …

Rangnick’s first appearance obviously went down well with United fans, who are all over social media rejoicing at his arrival. He may only be interim manager for this season, but with the two-year consultancy role to follow his commitment to the club is obvious. And he has obviously researched the club deeply. “I know about the disaster in Munich,” he said today. “The legacy of this club is unique. We have to follow this legacy and make sure the DNA will also be respected.”

So what about new signings for United? The transfer window opens next month, but Rangnick seems more concerned with long-term rather than quick-fix solutions. As we all focus on him as interim manager, the German already has one eye on the position as consultant that he will move into at the end of this season. “The club has had no continuity in signing new players and sticking to the DNA of the club,” he said. “In the future, the board members and myself have the same opinion. It’s important not to have many changes in management.”

SilentSouness

03 December 2021 9:33am

Watching United last night it really showed how they've previously bought players in the hope they will all gel because they're 'good'.

United under Rag will likely start to buy players that either fit, or can be molded, to his system of play (like Klopp does) rather than just chucking money at xyz and then wondering why id didn't work out like a game of Football Manager.

Rangnick’s discussion of Ronaldo was particularly interesting, given he chose to focus in on the 36-year-old’s incredible fitness. It is clearly something United’s interim manager puts front and centre of his coaching ethos. “Modern football in the last 10 years, it has completely changed into a more physical, more athletic, more vertical game,” Rangnick explained at one point. “In order to develop teams, you need to train the bodies and the brains.”

One thing that was notable from Rangnick’s words was his desire to bring order and control to the team. “It’s obvious the squad has talent and experience,” he said. “The challenge is to bring more balance into the team. Even yesterday we needed three goals to win the game. It’s almost two goals on average conceded per game and this is too much.

“Yesterday’s game was exciting for the fans but as the coach they are not the games you need every day. For me it is to minimise the coincidence factor and have control of the game.”

And that’s it. Ralf Rangnick has left the building. I will try to unpick the bigggest lines for you over the next few minutes but there is no doubt he cuts an impressive figure. He talks intelligently, offers great insight and has clearly come to Old Trafford to instigate change. Rivals be warned. Prepare to see United kicked into shape, and quickly.

Rangick talks about living in Brighton when he was younger, and learning to love British football by going to matches here. “You will find very few football clubs with this much support. This is football in the purest sense. It’s more than exciting to be part of that atmosphere. This will help any team, especially our players, to get on a higher level.”

On Cristiano Ronaldo, Rangnick is diplomatic. “Having watched him last night, especially in the second half he made the difference. At his age I have never seen a player who is that physically fit. What I saw from Cristiano yesterday he is more than willing to put himself out there for the team. It’s not only the players who have to adapt, The team has to adapt to the players too.”

Rangnick praises the fans inside Old Trafford last night, but says Manchester United need to control games better.

Rangnick is optimistic about the talent in United’s squad: “I think when Jürgen Klopp came to Liverpool it was definitely not a better squad than the one I inherited here at Manchester United.”

Rangnick talks about Sir Alex Ferguson. “Having had the same manager for 27 years it’s not that unusual after such a long successful spell you need to find a new pathway. You need continuity. I think for the future it’s important that there will be not that many changes in management.”

The Guardian’s Jamie Jackson asks how easy will it be to turn round Manchester United? “It’s about getting to know the players, speaking to them and letting them know what the approach will be. I am very ambitious and want the best. We have to be realistic, the distance between us and the top three is big. It’s about developing performances and letting the team get the felling of how we can control the game.”

Rangnick says he wants to change things, but he is realistic. “The aim is to win the next game but I have maybe one training session before Sunday I will introduce myself to the players this afternoon. There are many things that you can change on the training pitch but it will not be easy in the middle of the season. You cannot change everything in one or two weeks.”

Michael Carrick announced he was leaving Manchester United immediately after the final whistle last night. He says he had made the decision himself, partly due to “loyalty” to Ole Gunnar Solskjær, after 15 years at the club as a player and coach …

“It is 100% my decision. I respect a new manager coming in. I made the decision before speaking to him. It wasn’t an easy one but [it is the] right decision for the club. The loyalty to Ole is a little bit of a factor but there were a lot of things that came into my decision.

Read Jamie Jackson’s full story here …