Rangnick to set Ronaldo 'training test' to see if he makes Man Utd first team

Ralf Rangnick is reportedly preparing to put Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates through their paces as soon as he takes charge of the underperforming Manchester United squad.

The German is set to bring a drastic shake-up to United's style of play and their training regime once he is unveiled as the club's interim manager.

Rangnick will demand his players press much higher up the pitch and increase their intensity on the ball in a stark contrast to the tactics utilised by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The 63-year-old was one of the great pioneers of genenpressing, the art of winning the ball back as quickly as possible after losing possession.

Under Solskjaer, United frequently dropped deep into their own half and seldom pressurised opposition defences.

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This was partly due to Ronaldo's role as the No.9, with lingering doubts over the 36-year-old's ability to press consistently for 90 minutes.

The Portugal superstar will face an audition under Rangnick to prove he is up to the task and he will literally have to beat the buzzer under a new training regime.

The Daily Telegraph reports the former RB Leipzig boss is planning to install a countdown clock at United's Carrington base which will time his players and force them to improve their pressing.

Rangnick will demand the ball is won back just eight seconds after it has been lost with a view to creating a goalscoring opportunity 10 seconds later.

He will hope to take charge of training next week in time for Thursday's clash with Arsenal, but he will not be present at Stamford Bridge for Sunday's encounter with Chelsea as he awaits a visa.

That has not stopped Rangnick from analysing the players he will soon be working with, as he has already been combing over footage of the squad, according to a separate report by the Daily Telegraph.

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He previously opened up on the demands he puts on his players with a remarkable comparison to pregnancy.

Rangnick told Coaches' Voice : "You need to be aware what kind of football you really want to play. A little bit of pressing? Come on, what is a little bit of pressing?

"A little bit of pressing is like a little bit of pregnant. Either you are pregnant or not? Either you want to play pressing or not."

Rangnick's trophy cabinet includes a DFB-Pokal from his time with Schalke and two Bundesliga runners-up medals.