Manchester United appoint Ralf Rangnick as interim boss

The club announced Rangnick's appointment for the rest of the season on Monday, just over a week after the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

"Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager until the end of the season, subject to work visa requirements. Following this period, Ralf and the club have agreed that he will continue in a consultancy role for a further two years," the club said in a statement.

The 63-year-old German has left his role as head of sports and development at Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow to take charge of the English club.

The former Schalke, Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig boss said he was excited to be joining the club and focused on making it a successful season.

"The squad is full of talent and has a great balance of youth and experience,'' Rangnick said. "All my efforts for the next six months will be on helping these players fulfil their potential, both individually and, most importantly, as a team.''

Rangnick — a pioneer of the high-intensity "Gegenpressing" game developed in Germany and increasingly dominant in world soccer — will be hoping his playing style can help United rescue its season.

The club had been led by former player Michael Carrick since the firing of club legend Solskjaer on November 21.

rc/wmr (Reuters, AFP, AP)