Who is Ralf Rangnick? Why is Manchester Utd's new manager called 'Professor Of Football'?

Premier League heavyweights Manchester United announced Ralf Rangnick as their new interim manager on Monday, November 29, a week after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked. The German boss will be in charge of the team until the end of the season, after which he will take up the role of a consultant for a further two years.

However, with the 62-year old having not coached any side since 2018, only a few people have heard of him. Hence, here's a look at who is Ralf Rangnick, the person who is nicknamed as 'The Professor of Football' by some.

Who is Ralf Rangnick: Manchester United's new manager

Ralf Rangnick has an outstanding track record in Germany, having managed various Bundesliga outfits such as Schalke 04, Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig. During his years of coaching, he came to be known as the 'godfather for Gegenpressing.' This style of football involves high-pressing and attempting to win the ball high in the opposition's half.

Rangnick has been so instrumental over the years that it is believed that fellow German coaches Jurgen Klopp, Julian Nagelsmann, Ralph Hasenhuttl and Thomas Tuchel have all been influenced by their compatriot.

Ralf Rangnick's achievements

Although Ralf Rangnick has not won a major trophy such as the Bundesliga or the UEFA Champions League, he has yet had immense success as a coach considering the outfits he has managed. He helped both Ulm and Hannover achieve promotion to the Bundesliga and also famously won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2000 with VfB Stuttgart.

Following his spell at Hannover from 2001 to 2004, he had two spells of coaching Schalke 04. He helped the club finish second in the 2004/05 Bundesliga season before winning the DFB-Pokal and the DFL Supercup in his second spell in 2011. However, his most notable achievement at Schalke was taking them to the UCL semi-finals for the first time in the club's history in 2011.

Rangnick's best spell may have come at RB Leipzig as the director of football from 2012 to 2015. While he took the coaching responsibilities of the club only in 2015, he played an instrumental role in helping the side achieve promotion to the Bundesliga from the fourth tier of German football in his role as director. The year after he departed the club, Leipzig famously finished second in the Bundesliga in their first season in the top flight, clearly indicating the progress the side made under Rangnick.

Since the German's coaching days at Leipzig ended, he has taken over the role of the head of sport and development at Red Bull, where he has overseen the various football clubs that the company owns. As the sporting director for both RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig, he attracted talents keen on playing an attacking style of football. Following his time at the German outfit, he also signed a three-year contract as manager of sports and development for Lokomotiv Moscow on July 6 this year. This deal would be cut short as Rangnick will now take charge of Manchester United.