Former Man United interim manager Ralf Rangnick ‘reveals he identified Erling Haaland, Dusan Vlahovic, Christopher Nkunku, Josko Gvardiol, Luis Diaz and Alvaro Morata as transfer targets… but the club refused winter signings’
- Ralf Rangnick handed Manchester United a star-studded wish list last January
- The German guided United to their worst ever Premier League points tally – 58
- He presented the club with six targets but they ended up making no signings
Ralf Rangnick has reportedly revealed the star-studded shopping list that he gave Manchester United in order to reinforce their ailing side last January, only to be denied by the club’s owners.
BILD journalist Christian Falk has reported that Rangnick wanted to bolster his side and had identified the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Christopher Nkunku, Luis Diaz and Erling Haaland, only for United to turn down his request.
Rangnick’s Red Devils racked up a club record low 58 points in the 2021-22 campaign, and ultimately failed to bring in any reinforcements over the January window, despite the German manager reportedly identifying several options.
The German, now the manager of Austria, said Nkunku and his Leipzig team-mate Josko Gvardiol were ‘realistic’ at the time for United but the Glazer family opted not to pursue them any further.
Ralf Rangnick handed Manchester United a star-studded transfer wish list last January
‘There was no such [transfer] dossier, and it was never wanted by the club,’ Rangnick said, speaking to German outlet BILD. ‘But even without such a script, it was clear to everyone that there was a need in many areas.
‘That’s why we were already discussing players like Josko Gvardiol and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig. Those were names that were realistic.
‘We also talked about Alvaro Morata, Luis Diaz, Dusan Vlahovic and, as I said, Erling Haaland when they were still on the market. But the club decided at that time to rebuild the team under the new coach.’
Erling Haaland was one of a number of forward recruits the German manager had his eye on
With the exception of the Spanish No 9, the other five players all went on to have strong seasons, and would surely have worked wonders in helping the Old Trafford side rescue their prospects.
Croatian defender Gvardiol would have proven a breath of fresh air at the heart of a defence that was characterised by Harry Maguire’s inconsistent and often hapless displays.
The introduction of Nkunku or Diaz would have relieved some of the pressure from Bruno Fernandes, and either Vlahovic or Haaland would have bolstered an often misfiring offensive unit.
Dusan Vlahovic has scored 17 and given three assists in 36 games since signing for Juventus
Luis Diaz has starred for Liverpool as both a scorer and a provider in attack
As it was the club failed to make a single signing in the window and faded away from a Champions League challenge, finishing sixth behind Arsenal.
The club’s transfers have come under heavy scrutiny in recent seasons, with United keen to throw their considerable financial weight around in the market, though not always with success.
The previous summer, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge, United had a promising transfer window as they brought in Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo for a total cost of £127million.
Varane’s first season at Old Trafford was ravaged by injury and Sancho failed to reproduce his best Dortmund form, however.
Rangnick requested a raid on RB Leipzig for Josko Gvardiol (L) and Christopher Nkunku (C)
After parting ways with United, Rangnick, 64 was due to stay on at the club in a consultancy role.
But it was later decided that he would part ways with the club altogether ahead of the arrival of new boss Erik ten Hag.
He has since taken up the vacant managerial position at the Austrian national set up, where he has overseen six games, losing four and winning only one.
The fourth forward on the star-studded list was Chelsea flop Alvaro Morata from Atletico
