Things could have been so different.
Ralf Rangnick recommended nine players for Erik ten Hag to sign in his first season in order to restore the club to its former glory.
Rangnick had a horrid time when he was the interim manager of the club in the 2021/22 season, but he was supposed to stay on in an advisory role to help the manager in his rebuild.
However, he instead decided to take the Austria international team instead, but he has revealed that nine players in particular were recommended.
During an interview with BILD, the former interim manager said that the team needed “open heart surgery” and that his suggestions were “realistic targets”.
Erling Haaland
Seems fairly obvious now given his immediate success at Man City, but when he was at Dortmund there were still doubts about whether he could do it in the Premier League.
It appears United were not willing to take that chance.
Josko Gvardiol
Another now Man City star, Gvardiol lit up the World Cup for Croatia last winter, which inflated his price tag, but before that Rangnick was looking Man United to sign him.
Julian Alvarez
A pattern seems to be emerging here, as Alvarez was snatched up by the blue side of Manchester instead. Again this was another star who really made his name at the World Cup, playing key role for Argentina.
Although playing second fiddle to Haaland, he has been a vital cog in Pep Guardiola’s winning machine.
Christopher Nkunku
It was Chelsea who managed to snatch this one up, but a knee injury has seen him remain on the sidelines since pre-season this year.
Konrad Laimer
Another RB Leipzig player that interested Rangnick, but the midfielder went to Bayern Munich instead, and given united’s troubles in that position this season, he definitely would have been useful.
Alvaro Morata
Although the striker struggled at Chelsea, he went on to be very prolific for Atletico Madrid, and Rangnick thought he would have been a really good option to have at Old Trafford.
Dusan Vlahovic
Vlahovic was one of the most sought after strikers in Europe after a brilliant season with Fiorentina.
Enzo Fernandez
Again this is another top player who managed to inflate their price tag after a very impressive World Cup with Argentina. Chelsea took that to the extreme by making him the most expensive signing in the league’s history.
However, when he was still at Benfica and progressing as a young midfielder, Rangnick wanted to make him a Man United player.
Luis Diaz
Possibly one of the best buys of Jurgen Klopp’s tenure at Liverpool. There was no really hype about him, but he slotted into the Reds’ front three seamlessly, and has been devastating ever since.
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