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Solskjaer's £55m spending spree left Ralf Rangnick with four urgent decisions

mirror.co.uk, 3 December 2021, 06:30
The Norwegian was never particularly shy at splashing the cash throughout his time at the helm of Manchester United, but has now left his successor with plenty of decisions to make

Four players signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during the same transfer window at Manchester United are now likely to provide new manager Ralf Rangnick with a selection headache as he begins his reign.

The 63-year-old German is set to officially take charge of United following Thursday night's home clash against long-time rivals Arsenal, which will be Michael Carrick 's final game as interim boss.

While the former RB Leipzig manager is likely to have a number of issues he would like to immediately address once he gets his feet under the desk at Carrington, there are some lingering issues from the Solskjaer-era that still require attention.

The signings of Donny van de Beek, Edinson Cavani, Alex Telles and Facundo Pellistri saw United part ways with £55m to bring the quartet to Old Trafford in the summer of 2020.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Rangnick sell all four players? Comment below

Of the aforementioned four, only Cavani can really lay claim to having any kind of meaningful impact on proceedings since joining the club last summer.

Despite this, all four are attracting interest from a number of clubs across the continent, even with significantly reduced playing time this term.

Van de Beek, United's most expensive acquisition of the four, clearly fell out of favour fairly quickly under Solskjaer - despite putting in a number of impressive displays and even finding the net a couple of times.

Interest from fellow Premier League outfit Everton lingered in the summer window, but United were adamant in their stance the Dutchman was not to depart.

Whether Rangnick sees the former Ajax man as integral to his plans remains to be seen, but Van de Beek will have limited time to impress before the January transfer window opens.

Cavani is a curious case study, given his energy and willingness to press from the front, something that Rangnick will love, defy his age.

At 36, the Uruguayan is certainly entering the twilight of his playing days and reports have surfaced recently that the former Paris Saint-Germain forward has grown tired of living in England.

His keen eye for goal has not left him, but with both Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo not getting any younger, Rangnick could look to move one of them on in place of a younger model - and it is unlikely five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo is going anywhere.

According to the Sun, left-back Telles is attracting interest from Italy with both Serie A giants Inter and AC Milan keen on his signature.

The Portugal international has struggled to nail down a place in the starting eleven since arriving from Porto last year and has featured just twice in the league all season.

Pellistri is the youngest of the lot and has time on his side, but is yet to make a competitive first-team appearance for United after signing from Uruguayan outfit Penarol last October.

Currently on loan at La Liga outfit Deportivo Alaves, the 19-year-old is struggling to make an impression - without a goal in 13 appearances this term.

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