Manchester United: Ralf Rangnick's art of 'club building' & new challenge at Old Trafford

For a man whose footballing epiphany came almost 40 years ago and continues to underpin his style of play, Ralf Rangnick maintains a thirst for innovation and desire to modernise every club he touches.

Since Rangnick was named Manchester United's interim boss, a story has surfaced of the match that did so much to shape his outlook — when he played as a midfielder for sixth-tier German side Viktoria Backnang in a friendly against Valeriy Lobanovsky's Dynamo Kyiv in February 1983.

A few minutes into the game, Rangnick had to stop and count the number of opposition players, convinced they were fielding more than 11 because of the suffocating way Dynamo systemically pressed the ball.

«We chanced upon a genius,» Rangnick said, with the encounter shaping the high-intensity football the 'Godfather of Gegenpressing' has become renowned for.

Some of the principles the German learned from observing Lobanovsky's side — and Arrigo Sacchi's AC Milan of 1987-1991 — are already being implemented at United's Carrington training ground. Now it is 63-year-old Rangnick whose reputation and unique approach precedes him.

Those who have worked with Rangnick describe a mastermind at building clubs. A man whose emphasis on fine details drives players to their best — but can also be exhausting and push some to their limits.

United's interim boss said it himself last week: «The players have to buy in. I need to get into their heart, their brains, their blood, whatever. The first steps have been taken.»

He is said to be someone who challenges the status quo, implementing his own structure as soon as possible. He can be impatient and intense — and ruthless with anyone lagging behind. He demands success and knows how to create a high-performance