Ralf Rangnick explains why he rejected same Chelsea role ahead of Man Utd move

Potential new Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick rejected the opportunity to replace Frank Lampard at Chelsea earlier this year.

United are poised to appoint the experienced German coach on a contract until the end of the current campaign with the option of a further two-year consultancy role at the club.

The Blues dismissed Lampard in January with the club languishing in ninth place in the Premier League and would go on to appoint Thomas Tuchel on a permanent basis.

Prior to the confirmation of Tuchel's appointment, the West London club held talks with Rangnick over the possibility of him taking charge on an interim basis until the end of the campaign.

Yet Rangnick has already revealed he rejected the approach as such a move would make him a 'lame duck' at the club, but he has appeared to have a change of heart with recent talks with United.

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A host of managers have been linked to the coaching vacancy at United following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but Rangnick is now on the verge of filling the role for the remainder of the season.

The veteran boss explained in an interview with The Times earlier this year that there was a conversation with the Blues, but the nature of the job being on an interim basis was off-putting to him at that point.

"'I said: 'I would like to come and work with you, but I can't do it for four months.

"I'm not an interim coach.

"To the media and players you would be the 'four-month manager', a lame duck, from day one."

Of course, the Blues moved to appoint Rangnick's compatriot Thomas Tuchel - one of a host of top German coaches whose style and philosophy was interviewed by the former RB Leipzig boss.

Tuchel went on to enjoy immediate short-term success at Stamford Bridge, guiding the club to just their second ever Champions League title within four months of his appointment.

The Blues have enjoyed success into this campaign - topping the early Premier League standings.

Rangnick added that Chelsea made an excellent decision in appointing Tuchel, who had been sacked by Paris Saint-Germain the previous month.

He added: "If you watch Chelsea now you see a mutual plan for when they have the ball or the other team have the ball.

"Thomas is tactically on a very sophisticated level.

"Zsolt Low [Tuchel's assistant] was my player and assistant coach at Leipzig and plays a vital role in his staff.

"And you can see from the way he interacts with players Thomas also has great leadership skills.

"Appointing him was a top solution. I can only congratulate Thomas and Chelsea for the choice."

On Tuesday, Michael Carrick oversaw an impressive two-goal victory for Manchester United at Villarreal to seal their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Carrick is now set to once again be at the helm for United's trip to Chelsea on Sunday due to Rangnick's work permit being unlikely to be processed in time for the trip.

It remains unclear if Carrick and United's other coaching staff - including Mike Phelan and Kieran McKenna - will be retained under Rangnick's likely regime at the club.

United had approached Paris Saint-Germain regarding Mauricio Pochettino's availability but United may not be able to appoint the Argentine the middle of the season, forcing them to assess other options.

Pochettino will remain a strong candidate to be appointed at the club at the end of the campaign as United seek a long-term appointment, with Rangnick to remain at Old Trafford in a two-year consultancy role.