Skip to content
Analysis

Cristiano Ronaldo, Jesse Lingard and more - who will be the winners and losers in Ralf Rangnick's Man Utd squad?

Follow Man Utd vs Crystal Palace in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel after full-time

Ralf Rangnick
Image: Ralf Rangnick takes charge of his first game as Man Utd manager against Crystal Palace on Sunday

Should Cristiano Ronaldo be worried about his Manchester United place? Could Donny van de Beek finally get his chance? Analysing the potential winners and losers as Ralf Rangnick's reign gets underway at Old Trafford on Sunday...

Losers

Cristiano Ronaldo

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 800th career goal to inspire Manchester United to a 3-2 victory over Arsenal at Old Trafford

There's no getting away from it, a Gegenpress and Cristiano Ronaldo mix about as well as oil and water.

Now no one's expecting one of the greatest players in history to be training with the U23s for the rest of the season, but Rangnick, well-known as a hard task-master, will have no qualms in dropping his star player if he thinks the team needs something else without the ball.

At RB Leipzig under what was more often than not a high-intensity 4-3-3, Timo Werner and Yussuf Poulsen were the two most-regularly used frontmen in the forward line. Werner ranked second for winning the ball back in the final third across strikers and wingers across the Bundesliga, while Poulsen was sixth, but also second for the middle third of the pitch.

Compare and contrast with Ronaldo, who this season ranks 46th across strikers and wingers in the Premier League. His pressing game has been discussed at length, and it's just not his style. Whether Rangnick can find a suitable way to work around it consistently will become an interesting spectacle, but it's certainly far from a match made in heaven.

Nemanja Matic

Also See:

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 28: Nemanja Matic of Manchester United  during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on November 28, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Image: Does speculation linking Man Utd with a new defensive midfielder means Nemanja Matic's days are numbered at Old Trafford?

Manchester United are already strongly linked with Amadou Haidara, a defensive midfielder Rangnick worked with at RB Leipzig, in January. Who is he most likely to replace? Nemanja Matic has to be top of the list.

Matic performed well in United's 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday, but the intensity of the new manager's game does not suit him at 33. The Serbian has never been an especially all-action midfielder even in his pomp, and with other more mobile options available to Rangnick even before he strengthens his arsenal, then it could spell danger.

Across Premier League midfielders this season, Fred's pressing has been the second-most intense, and even Scott McTominay, 58th on the list, ranks significantly higher than Nemanja Matic way down in 80th.

Luke Shaw

Bernardo Silva makes it 2-0 to Man City
Image: Could Luke Shaw's recent loss of form cost him in place in Ralf Rangnick's new-look United?

Luke Shaw enjoyed such a resurgence under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last season that he was England's first-choice left-back at Euro 2020 and scored in the ultimately doomed final.

Things haven't gone quite so well since. And Rangnick's arrival could make things worse for the 26-year-old, with Alex Telles an able alternative who has not been utilised to the best of his ability since his arrival from Porto last October.

Alex Telles
Image: How did Luke Shaw and Alex Telles compare in 2019/20?

The new coach famously likes his full-backs to be able to support his forward players, and in Telles he has a much more natural attacking option.

Rangnick even said of Shaw last year: "They could do with a left-back, I know they have Luke Shaw but I'm not so sure if he's still on the same kind of level you need to be for a club like Manchester United."

It's difficult to compare Shaw and Telles' output at United given the latter has played only 799 minutes of Premier League football in his entire Manchester United career, but put their numbers side-by-side for Telles' last season at Porto, 2019/20, and the difference is striking.

Winners

Donny van de Beek

Donny van der Beek celebrates after scoring for Man Utd (AP)
Image: Donny van der Beek's attributes are ideally suited to the Gegenpress philosophy Ralf Rangnick is credit with creating

There is arguably no player better-equipped or -suited to Rangnick's Gegenpress footballing philosophy than the forgotten man at Manchester United, Donny van de Beek.

The Dutchman endured a torrid time frozen out of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first-team picture but his rise at Ajax, and the occasional glimmer of brilliance at Old Trafford, leave him in pole position to flourish under new direction.

United's success under Rangnick will hinge on their ability to win back possession high up field and registering an attack on the opposition goal immediately, and Van de Beek has attributes which Rangnick would be foolish to ignore if he wants his objectives to be achieved.

Van de Beek's ability to glide while carrying the ball, his eye for a pass, and his ruthless finish ability, make his one of few all-round players in United's squad who are equipped to carry out every facet of Rangnick's brand of football.

Jesse Lingard

Jesse Lingard
Image: Could Jesse Lingard be brought back in from the cold just when his Man Utd days looked numbered?

With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in situ, Jesse Lingard's future looked destined to be away from Old Trafford, but the arrival of Rangnick could breathe life into his Manchester United career at the 11th hour.

When it comes to transitions and linking the defence and attack with the ball at feet, Lingard's stands head and shoulders above his team-mates, and these attributes could prove priceless as Rangnick looks to impart his philosophy to the United dressing room.

You need look no further than Lingard's successful loan spell at West Ham, and his vast array of goals which helped the Hammers qualify for Europe, to see how valuable and versatile an asset the 28-year-old remains.

Scott McTominay

Manchester United's Scott McTominay kicks the ball against Chelsea
Image: Can Ralf Rangnick help Scott McTominay shake off his mercenary tag?

Shackled by his firefighting duties in front on United's porous defence, Scott McTominay's qualities as a finisher and creator simply weren't given the opportunity to flourish throughout Solskjaer's tenure, but particularly in the final months.

Whenever McTominay has been given the license to venture forward, there have been glimpses of the talent which earned the Scotland international a fearsome reputation as a striker as he took his first steps in United's academy.

As Leeds will attest, both this season and last, McTominay has much more in his locker than his mercenary label would suggest. The question is: can Rangnick's philosophy eek those talents out on a more consistent basis than his predecessor.

Follow Manchester United with Sky Sports

Follow every Man Utd game in the Premier League this season with our live blogs on the Sky Sports website and app, and watch match highlights for free shortly after full-time.

Want the Man Utd latest? Bookmark our Man Utd news page, check out Man Utd's fixtures and Man Utd's latest results, watch Man Utd goals and video, keep track of the Premier League table and see which Man Utd games are coming up live on Sky Sports.

Get all this and more - including notifications sent straight to your phone - by downloading the Sky Sports Scores app and setting Man Utd as your favourite team.

Hear the best Premier League reaction and expert analysis with the Essential Football and Gary Neville podcasts, keep up-to-date with our dedicated Transfer Centre, follow the Sky Sports social accounts on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, and find out how to get Sky Sports.

Win £250,000 with Super 6!
Win £250,000 with Super 6!

Another Saturday, another chance to win £250,000 with Super 6. Play for free, entries by 3pm.

Analysis

Around Sky