Ralf Rangnick already knows ‘the next steps’ Manchester United must take to become title challengers again

Ralf Rangnick says he is fully aware of the issues Manchester United must address in the summer to become title contenders – though for now he is only focused on beating Brighton.

The interim boss has seen his side throw away first-half leads in each of their last three matches and they are now 23 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City in the table with a third of the campaign still to be played.

At the end of the season, Rangnick will move into a consultancy role and he has already identified the areas he will advise United to improve upon but will wait until the campaign has finished before discussing his observations with the club.

Asked if he is already formulating an idea of what needs to be done, Rangnick said on Monday: ‘About next season, yes obviously after being here now for 10 or 11 weeks, of course I know what it takes for next season.

‘But it’s not the time now to discuss this with anyone. My full focus is on tomorrow [vs Brighton], then Sunday [vs Leeds], then Wednesday in the Champions League [vs Atletico Madrid] and the next couple of weeks.

‘I think this is the only thing to deal with, with the current situation. My full focus is on the current squad and getting the best out of this season.

‘And then, after that, it’s time to speak about the next steps for next season and for the next couple of years.’

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He continued: ‘If you look at the current table, the gab between not only us but other teams like Tottenham and Arsenal and the top two or three teams – there