Nkunku and Haidara in, Ronaldo stays - How United could look after January transfers

The former RB Leipzig manager is looking to transform the club's fortunes following a poor start to the season and could do so by raiding one of his former club's in the January transfer window.

Rangnick is replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the remainder of the season before taking up a consultancy role for the next two years.

Given his track record, Rangnick's appointment is certain to bring some much needed excitement to the Red Devils, and he could add some more talents to their squad too.

In his career, he has signed, either as a manager or sporting director, starlets like Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita.

The Old Trafford faithful will be hoping the 63-year-old can work his magic again with the transfer window looming but what might his side look like in February if he raids his former club RB Leipzig? talkSPORT.com takes a look.

Arrivals

Lukas Klostermann (right-back)

Since joining the club in 2014, Klostermann's rise has seen him become one of the club's most consistent defenders and someone Rangnick could be keen on adding into the squad.

Given his age, 25-years-old, the German defender offers top level experience without being so senior he doesn't have any resale value, and he will be entering the final two-and-a-half years on his contract in January.

Furthermore, his versatility is something that could be beneficial to Rangnick because although he has played the majority of his career at Leipzig as a right-back, he has been deployed in the heart of defence in recent seasons when required.

With Aaron Wan-Bissaka producing several underwhelming performances this season and with Harry Maguire's indifferent form as well, Klostermann could well be the next name on the list to swap the Bundesliga for the Premier League.

Amadou Haidara (central midfielder)

Haidara could just be the signing Man United need, a player capable of breaking the lines from a deeper position and playing progressive passes.

The Malian central midfielder is another who Rangnick signed whilst he was manager of RB Leipzig and could be tempted to go in for him again especially given the uncertainty surrounding Paul Pogba's future.

Similarly to Wan-Bissaka, the club's current first choice midfielders of Scott McTominay and Fred are also yet to convince the Old Trafford faithful meaning that a space is very much up for grabs.

Perhaps the biggest selling point though is the fact that the 23-year-old has previously discussed playing for Man United and admitted he would love to play for the club.

"I like Manchester United very much and watch as many games as possible. I dream of playing there," he told German news outlet Bild.

Cristopher Nkunku (attacking midfielder)

The 24-year-old is having one of the seasons of his life for RB Leipzig which is quite extraordinary given that his side are dwindling in eighth place in the Bundesliga.

In 20 games so far in all competitions, the Frenchman has found the on 13 occasions as well as contributing nine assists.

Man City even found out how much of a threat he is when Nkunku came to the Etihad and took home the match ball in a 6-3 defeat.

The most impressive aspect of the RB Leipzig player is his versatility having also been deployed as a second striker, centre-forward, left and right winger for parts of this season to good effect.

Similarly to Klostermann, Nkunku will also be in the final two-and-a-half-years of his contract and given the form he is showing, Leipzig could be tempted to cash in on him now and make a hefty profit since signing him from PSG in 2019 for €13million (£11m).

How Manchester United could look with new signings…