Politics
Sherwood launches damning attack on Man Utd from boardroom to the players and dismisses Rangnick as permanent manager
TIM SHERWOOD launched a damning attack on ‘fragmented’ Manchester United slamming the board and players.
Reports of a rift between Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo over the captaincy have been rubbished by both Maguire himself and interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
GETTYRumours of a rift between Maguire and Ronaldo have been rubbished[/caption]
SKY SPORTSSherwood is ‘concerned’ by Man Utd both on and off the pitch[/caption]
But the situation should be a concern, says former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood.
When being asked whether he’d be concerned about a rift between two key players, he said on Sky Sports: “Yeah, very concerned you need to keep it all in house.
“It’s alright them coming out and defending each other and it’s all rosy in the garden and we’re all pointing in the same direction – they need to show that on the pitch.
“It doesn’t look like that. Fragmented on the pitch. Fragmented in the boardroom.
“Not sure who’s doing what at Man Utd, not only on the football pitch but off the pitch.”
Sherwood also says he doesn’t see any ‘improvement’ under Rangnick and has doubts over whether the German can fill the role long-term.
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“It needs to be sorted as soon as possible, I don’t see an improvement since Ralf Rangnick has been at the football club.
“I certainly don’t see a playing identity.
“I hear a lot of different terminology from Ralf, his moto is: if you can’t convince, confuse.
“Sometimes that wins but it doesn’t necessarily win in the dressing room.
“Sometimes the players see through that and at the moment he looks like he lacks a little bit of presence, in my opinion, to be Manchester United manager.”
Sherwood did recognise the job Rangnick has done elsewhere at spotting and nurturing talent.
But the Englishman says Rangnick has never had to deal with big players in his career.
He continued: “If you’re Man Utd manager you’re going to deal with big characters and big huge players. He has never had to do that.
“He has done a fantastic job bringing through younger players at development clubs in Germany, and he has done well at that you have to say, but he has never managed a group of players like this; world stars, winners.
“But I still believe they will finish in fourth, I think they have the best players to do that.
“But then again, that would be the best players prevailing and not the best teams, and I think he certainly isn’t getting the best out of that group of players.”
Should Man Utd look to appoint another manager in the summer and move Rangnick into an advisory role, Mauricio Pochettino is among the favourites to take over at Old Trafford.
Pochettino was linked with the job when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked but a move never materialised.
The Argentine’s relationship at Paris Saint-Germain is said to be at ‘breaking point’ despite having Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe at his disposal.
Read our Manchester United live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from Old Trafford