Rangnick and Man Utd chief Murtough barely spoke as pair's problems laid bare

Ralf Rangnick's interim spell at Manchester United was less than impressive and issues off the field reflected those on it.

The Red Devils ended up finishing sixth with the German unable to impart any of his wisdom for which he had so long been heralded. Old Trafford chief John Murtough was the man to appoint Rangnick following the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

However it quickly became apparent that the pair had their differences and by the end of his tenure Rangnick didn't even speak to the man who had originally given him the role and had plans to keep him on in a consultancy position. The Austrian didn't feel he got the necessary support as results continued to nosedive, reports the BBC.

The 63-year-old was open in his assessment, confessing that there were major problems at United. He spoke candidly and claimed the club need "open heart surgery". Murtough felt that airing that view in a press conference was not in the team's best interests and more efforts should have been made to protect their reputation.

By the time Rangnick left Manchester he had the worst win percentage of any United boss in the Premier League era. His side won just three of their final 12 games and will now play in the Europa League. The German's consultancy plan has since been axed and he has taken charge of the Austrian national side.

Rangnick was unable to alter the team's style of play and cut an increasingly frustrated figure on the touchline. As his tenure went on he became more willing to publicly call out his players, who he felt didn't take enough responsibility.

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After a narrow win against Norwich City he issued a damning assessment, stating: "If you look at the two goals we conceded, especially the first one, we had the ball on the sideline but we were just not physical enough. As soon as there is body contact we have to be more physical, more aggressive, but we weren't. It was, for me, too easy, and that's why we are probably the only team in the league who concedes goals like this."

Rangnick had raised problems with their attacking intent after a defeat at relegation-threatened Everton. He claimed: "If you don't score in 95 minutes against a team that conceded three goals against Burnley and we scored three goals against Tottenham at home, it's difficult to explain. For us, as a coaching staff, it's not so easy to understand why we didn't create more chances in a game like this."

Eventually it was announced that United and Rangnick would end their working relationship and Erik ten Hag is the man left to pick up where he left off.