'Absolute mess' — Manchester United fans baffled and fuming over Ralf Rangnick exit

Manchester United supporters have been left astounded after Ralf Rangnick confirmed that he will not be staying put at Old Trafford following his spell as interim manager.

Rangnick stepped into the breach when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November and only agreed to the role on the proviso he was offered a future beyond his spell with the first-team. United agreed to those terms and plans were in place for him to remain in a consultancy position on a two-year contract.

It came before United confirmed Erik ten Hag as their new manager. Rangnick later accepted an offer to coach the Austria national team and those commitments have been cited as the driving force for a 'mutual agreement' that now sees the German depart.

READ MORE: Manchester United issue statement as Ralf Rangnick steps down from consultancy role

Ten Hag and Rangnick are understood to have held a lengthy conversation prior to this announcement. In a short statement, United said: "By mutual agreement, Ralf will now focus solely on his new role as manager of the Austria national team and will not therefore be taking up a consultancy role at Old Trafford.

"We would like to wish Ralf the best of luck in this next chapter of his career."

It was confirmed on Friday morning that three backroom staff members welcomed to the club when Rangnick was appointed — Chris Armas, Ewan Sharp and Sascha Lense — have left Old Trafford amid several high-profile departures behind the scenes. Talks are ongoing with Mike Phelan over his impending departure.

Needless to say, this shock update on Rangnick has, also, driven countless comments and reaction on social media. Here are some posts from United supporters as taken from Twitter;