New Manchester United appointment leaves huge question marks over future Ralf Rangnick role

As things stand, Ralf Rangnick's time at Manchester United will be extended by the summer as he takes on a new consultancy role at the club following on from the interim spell in the dugout.

The ideal scenario is that he delivers the Champions League football United need this season before moving upstairs and working alongside a longer-term appointment, with Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino the two apparent frontrunners.

Tuesday night's much-needed win over Brighton brought some welcome respite for Rangnick but his time at Old Trafford so far has been mixed. United have tended to struggle against teams who sit deep and play a low block and hopes of the top-four finish they covet are in the balance.

When he secured the job on an interim basis, there was hope the team would receive a new manager bounce and things would look a lot rosier near the end of February when he came through (an on paper at least) nicer run of fixtures. But United's inability to kill games off had become a recurring theme until a hard-fought three points against the Seagulls.

There's been a lot of speculation over the specifics of what exactly it is Rangnick will be responsible for in his consultancy role at the end of the season and his remit remains unclear.

Some supporters are intent on seeing Rangnick get full autonomy and be permitted to oversee major changes at the club but the situation is a murky one when you consider he's not the football director. That's John Murtough.

Since Murtough arrived at the club, United have made improvements off the pitch but it's obvious that Rangnick has more experience across various departments at football clubs. He built a football club from the ground up in the case of RB Leipzig. Give him the tools he