Nemanja Matic shares honest verdict on Ralf Rangnick's impact at Manchester United

Manchester United player Nemanja Matic says it would be unfair to judge Ralf Rangnick and his impact before this season ends. With United to return to Premier League action following the international break this weekend, they face an almighty fight to cement Champions League qualification.

Having stepped into the Old Trafford dugout when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November, interim manager Rangnick steadied the ship, initially, but United then crashed out of the FA Cup and marquee European competition on his watch. Their last remaining objective now is a top-four finish.

Meanwhile, key figures in the boardroom have identified Ajax manager Erik ten Hag as a preferred candidate for the top job on a permanent basis. And now Matic has assessed the interim boss' spell in charge.

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Speaking about Rangnick to radio station talkSPORT, the United man said: "He's an experienced coach and we work very hard to be honest with him. As everyone knows, we don't have the best results at the moment, but he is trying his best, we are trying to follow his ideas.

"As I said, only at the end of the season when we look at the table and see where we are will we speak more about this. At the moment, what I can say is Ralf and his staff — and us as players — we are doing our best."

When asked if Rangnick is clear in what he demands from United players, Matic added: "Of course. We are focused, we need to be, we are professionals. We need to follow the ideas from the manager and the ideas from the club.

"We need to deal with that and we are all together in this situation. We have to resolve our problems to win games."

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