Ralf Rangnick: Who is the new Manchester United interim manager?

Tactical mastermind - Ralf Rangnick will be the interim manager at Manchester United.

After a string of poor results, Manchester United fans had mixed emotions when the club sacked their much-loved club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager.

Of course, the next question on everyone's lips was: who will the Red Devils bring in to improve the team's performances?

Well, the club have appointed Ralf Rangnick as their interim manager - that means someone who will take temporary control of the team while they search for a permanent head coach.

Rangnick will take charge of the team until the end of the 2021/2022 season and remain at the club for a further two years in a consultancy role.

United confirmed his appointment via Twitter, welcoming him to the club, while Ralf said he is "excited" to start his new job.

"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," he continued.

But who is Ralf Rangnick and what do we know about him? Here are a few things we discovered...

Rangnick was born in Backnang, near Stuttgart in Germany in 1958.

He started his playing career at VfB Stuttgart where he played for the reserve side. He didn't really excel as a professional player but was praised from an early age for his tactical talent.

In the 1970s, at the age of 21, Rangnick spent a year studying at Sussex University in Brighton, and even did some work experience at Arsenal Football Club during that time.

Since then, he has earned a great reputation as a top coach, with successful spells at German sides Stuttgart, Hannover, Hoffenheim, Schalke and Red Bull Leipzig.

Davie Selke of Red Bull Leipzig celebrated winning promotion to the top German league by throwing beer all over his head coach Ralf Rangnick!

He is said to have been one of the first managers to introduce a style of play called "gegenpressing", which roughly translates to mean "counter-pressing".

This means he likes his players to react immediately when they lose possession, putting pressure on the opposition straight away and hopefully winning back the ball as soon as possible.

This is sometimes also known as "rock and roll football" - but will we see him rocking out on the touchline if he's appointed at Old Trafford?

It is a style of play that has since been adopted by other successful managers such as Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel of Chelsea.

Rangnick was given the nickname, "The Professor" after he outlined his tactics on German TV in the 1990s, complete with white board and marker pens!

It was unusual at the time for coaches to give away their tactics in such a public manner, but Rangnick also believes his job is more straightforward than complex strategies.

"Tactics, fitness and rules are all hugely important, but they're only a means to an end", he said.

"My job - the job - is to improve players. Players follow you as a manager if they feel that you make them better. That's the greatest, most sincere motivation there is."

Rangnick will remain at the club after the end of the season, but will likely have a different role.

He will take on a consultancy role with the club for two further years, which may involve being part of the behind the scenes tactical staff.

Are you happy with the new manager? Will he help the team improve their performances? Let us know what you think in the comments sections below.