Regrets for Rangnick in Man Utd 'not sustainable' admission as Red Devils seek to avoid second tier of Thursday night football

Ralf Rangnick admits that he will be stepping out of the dugout at Manchester United with some regrets, as he could have done some things differently, with the German tactician of the opinion that the current model at Old Trafford is "not sustainable".

A vastly-experienced coach answered an SOS call from Premier League heavyweights in November 2021 on the back of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's dismissal and inherited managerial reins on an interim basis through to the end of the season.

He was initially able to tighten United up at the back, but more leaks soon sprung while questions have been asked of Cristiano Ronaldo and Co in the final third of the field, leaving an ambitious outfit facing up to another season without Champions League football and a big summer rebuild in the transfer market.

Did Rangnick make mistakes at Man Utd?

Quizzed by MUTV on whether there are things that he and the club could have done differently during a frustrating period, Rangnick said when reflecting on his reign: "Of course, you do that after every training session, after every game you play.

"Not only here, but as I said we were on a good pathway. We developed the team, we conceded less goals in the first couple of weeks and months, then all of a sudden we had problems to score our goals ourselves because we missed some offensive players.

"But as I said, in general we were not sustainable. We didn't manage to develop the team in a sustainable way, and to stabilise it in all the relevant areas. That's why we are where we are."

Will Man Utd be playing European football in 2022-23?

Rangnick has steered United towards their worst finish in the Premier League era, with the top-four once again proving out of reach.

There is still a chance that the Red Devils will fall as far as seventh on the final day, meaning Europa Conference League football next season, but there is a determination on the part of all concerned to finish on a positive note away at Crystal Palace and avoid the second tier of Thursday night competition.

"I mean it's bad enough that we aren't going to play on a Tuesday and Wednesday night in the Champions League, but knowing that we are going to play Thursday evening, I think it's important, even more so for the players, also for our supporters that we qualify for Europa League because in Europa League, Manchester United reach the final the season before," Rangnick said.

"The last season they played in the final against Villarreal and Frankfurt won the Europa League two days ago in style, qualifying for Champions League. This is why I think it's very important to qualify for the Europa League."