Man United will take their time appointing next permanent boss, says director Murtough

Manchester United football director John Murtough insists the club will not rush their search for the next permanent manager at Old Trafford. 

The Red Devils appointed Ralf Rangnick as interim boss until the end of the season following the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November.

The former Schalke coach has won both his Premier League games in temporary charge of United, earning 1-0 victories over Crystal Palace and Norwich City, while they are due to face Newcastle United on Monday.

The club will seek to appoint a long-term successor to former striker Solskjaer at the conclusion of the campaign, with Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag reportedly among the leading candidates.

Murtough told a fans’ forum: “Out of respect for Ole, we did not approach other managers before he left. 

“Our plan then was to appoint an experienced interim manager and Ralf was our clear first choice.

“He’s someone I have admired for a long time, and we’re delighted he’s here. By bringing in Ralf, we can now take time to run a thorough process for our next permanent manager.

“Recruiting a manager is one of the most important decisions a football club makes, so we want to do it in a careful and considered fashion.”

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Murtough was sad to see Solskjaer depart following the 4-1 defeat at Watford, paying tribute to the Norwegian’s contributions since replacing Jose Mourinho in December 2018.

“There were grounds for confidence that we were going to continue building on the progress we saw in the prior two seasons,” Murtough added. 

“After the promising early-season results, things went off plan.

“As a club, we felt Ole had earned the right to be given the chance to turn things round, but didn’t get a reaction after the international break, and the Watford game made it clear change was needed.

“We’re all disappointed at Ole’s departure, but he deserves to be judged on his record over the past three years, not his last few weeks. 

“He reset the club’s culture and reshaped the squad, leaving us in a stronger position today than when he returned in 2018.”