(Manchester United – Brentford 3-0) Ralf Rangnick believes United’s road back to the top “won’t take too long”, but experts are skeptical.
1 of 8Photo: Jon Super / AP
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The interim manager of Manchester United will become the new Austrian national team coach when he hands the baton to Erik ten Hag of the Netherlands at the end of the season.
The 63-year-old will have the job at the same time he works as an advisor in a bid to return Manchester United to its former glory.
– The plan that he will work one or two days a month to help Manchester United, I don’t understand that, said United legend Roy Keane on Sky Sports.
– That the Austrian manager will work part-time at Manchester United is nonsense, said former Liverpool stopper Jamie Carragher at the same studio.
However, Rangnick believed in the project.
– Other clubs need two or three windows to challenge for the title, but from now on we need to bring in quality players who really help us raise the level. “If this happens I don’t think it will take too long,” Rangnick told Sky Sports about when United could fight for the league title again.
Against Brentford, it worked a lot. Fernandes sent United into the lead after great preparation from young Swede Anthony Elanga early in the first half.
The right wing only managed to keep the ball at the dead line and put it in front of goal, where Fernandes popped in from six yards and netted his 50th league goal.
“We know that the standard is not as good as people expect, but we finished well at home,” Fernandes told Sky Sports.
After the break, Cristiano Ronaldo is sure to score his 18th league goal of the season.
As such, he only has Liverpool star Mohamed Salah (22) and Tottenham striker Heung min Son (19) ahead of him in the list of top scorers in the Premier League.
The striker has now scored against 168 different opponents during his career, divided into 123 clubs and 45 national teams.
The Portuguese player himself got a penalty kick after Rico Henry brought it down in a very clumsy way.
Team-mate Bruno Fernandes put the ball at the post when he got his chance from a chalk mark in the defeat to Arsenal.
Cristiano Ronaldo sent the ball the same way Fernandes did, but inside the post. With the goalkeeper lying in the other corner, it was a secure 2-0 score.
Ronaldo is also active outside the penalty box. He was more involved in the game than usual and was named the best on the pitch by Sky Sports. He also had the ball in the net before the break, but it was ruled out for offside.
As such, he had to wait until the game clock was over before he scored, and ten minutes later it was 3-0, which sealed United’s biggest win in 182 days.
Alex Telles swings in the corner from the right. There Raphaƫl Varane appeared and scored his first Premier League goal.
– We deserved to win, it was an important win. You could see that the players enjoyed playing together. “We have three creative central midfielders on the pitch and that helps us when we have the ball,” Rangnick told the BBC.
The three points mean Manchester United still have a theoretically slim chance of a top-four spot awarding a Champions League spot.
If United end up as number five or six, they will earn a place in the Europa League, while seventh place will take them to the Conference League.
The last two matches were away against Brighton Hove & Albion and Crystal Palace respectively.
New protests against the Glazer family were announced, but although some chose to leave the stadium, many were still present when Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. thanks for this year.
PS! Veteran Juan Mata, 34, started a league game for the first time this season – and possibly his last at Old Trafford. He played a good game until he was substituted after 69 minutes.
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