Mood at Manchester United ‘is totally flat’ as dismal season under Ralf Rangnick fizzles out

The mood at Manchester United ‘is totally flat’ as their hugely disappointing time under interim manager Ralf Rangnick fizzles out.

Players are reportedly underwhelmed with the training laid on by Rangnick’s coaches Chris Armas and Ewan Sharp, believing them to be ‘well below’ the standard set by their predecessors Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna.

Sessions in the lead-up to their embarrassing 4-0 defeat at Brighton last weekend apparently included no specific instructions on how Graham Potter‘s team would play and players have been critical of the coaching team for some time.

The mood at Manchester United is reportedly ‘totally flat’ as Ralf Rangnick’s tenure fizzles out

Players are reportedly not impressed by the training sessions laid on by coaches Ewan Sharp (left) and Chris Armas (right)

Last weekend’s 4-0 drubbing by Brighton was just the latest embarrassment for United

The Athletic report that American coach Armas and Scotsman Sharp are perceived by several in the squad as below the standard of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s coaching team.

Rangnick and United wanted Carrick and McKenna to stay on following Solskjaer’s sacking. 

Former United midfielder Carrick has recently been linked with the Lincoln City job, before the League One club appointed Mark Kennedy, while McKenna is in charge at Ipswich Town.

Ahead of the Brighton match, training reportedly consisted of small-sided games at half-speed, set-piece drills and some running, but little tactical preparation on the opposition.

That proved highly costly as United’s defence was repeatedly torn apart at the Amex Stadium and they got off lightly with just a 4-0 loss.

The players reportedly believed sessions under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s (right) coaches Michael Carrick (left) and Kieran McKenna (centre) were far better

Training sessions have apparently been low intensity with nothing specific to the opposition

It came as The Sun reported that two players allegedly had to be pulled apart during a training ground bust-up in the wake of the Brighton shambles, with tempers ‘boiling over’ as a result of the dismal season. 

United have just one game remaining in their season, away to Crystal Palace on the final afternoon next Sunday, and need a result to avoid finishing seventh and the indignity of playing in the Europa Conference League next season.

Armas confers with Rangnick during last weekend’s defeat at Brighton

The Athletic say that Sharp, who worked under Armas at New York Red Bulls as an analyst and then assisted the American coach at FC Toronto, has particularly struggled with the huge step up to United.

Rangnick and his whole team have been unable to exercise a great deal of authority over an expensively-assembled squad at Old Trafford and the season has quickly unravelled.

Ahead of the 4-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield last month, only one training session was spent adapting to the back three system Rangnick decided to play.

There are also reservations about the amount of time Rangnick has given the players off. This included four days after the Brighton defeat, time which some feel could have been spent addressing some of the many issues with the team.

It all leaves an almighty mess for incoming manager Erik ten Hag to sort out when he arrives next month.

After securing the Eredivisie title for Ajax on Wednesday, Ten Hag held a meeting in Amsterdam the following day.

Erik ten Hag held his first meeting as Man United boss as he discussed strategy in Amsterdam 

Steve McClaren, who is set to become his assistant boss, was also summoned to the meeting 

The United football director John Murtough was present to meet with Ten Hag, his assistant Mitchell van der Gaag and also Steve McClaren, who is set to return to United as an assistant coach. McClaren assisted Sir Alex Ferguson between 1999 and 2001.

Transfer targets for the summer were also discussed at the meeting, with several problem areas needing to be addressed once the window opens.