Manchester United players are growing tired of the team selections of interim manager Ralf Rangnick, and part of the squad have questioned why he was appointed to succeed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the first place.
The Red Devils have improved in certain aspects since the German took over in December, but United have largely still looked subpar and their glaring weaknesses were exposed in Sunday’s 4-1 loss at rivals Manchester City.
This was the third time that Man Utd have been embarrassed by a bitter foe this season having lost the reverse fixture with City 2-0 at Old Trafford and succumbing to a 5-0 defeat at home to Liverpool.
The Manchester Evening News report that tensions are still running high in the United dressing room, with some players concerned by Rangnick’s selection strategy – which mirrors that of Solskjaer.
Those on the fringes of the squad are unhappy with their lack of opportunities and are frustrated that their positional rivals are able to put in a number of poor showings without being dropped – one unnamed player has been labelled a ‘teacher’s pet’ due to his ability to remain in the starting lineup.
Rangnick’s managerial CV has also come into question – his last job was as sporting director at Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow and he had only managed in three of the last ten years prior to joining Man Utd, while his only notable tangible success came in the German Cup with Schalke in 2011.
However, the squad recognises that he is not totally at fault for United’s season unravelling, though they have found this recent stretch ‘bizarre’ nonetheless.
Sunday’s results mean that Man Utd have dropped to fifth in the table and are one point adrift of Arsenal, while the Gunners have three games in hand over the Red Devils.
Meanwhile, 90min understands that Marcus Rashford is considering his future at Old Trafford after falling out of favour this season.
The England forward is concerned that Rangnick, who will move into a consultancy role at Man Utd come the end of the season, doesn’t see a long-term future for him at the club.