Ralf Rangnick 'received in-game Man Utd analysis from unpaid coach' watching from Russia

Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick has reportedly been receiving in-game information from an unpaid analyst at his former club Lokomotiv Moscow to help him with tactical analysis.

Rangnick’s final game in charge as interim boss ended in disappointment with a drab performance after losing 1-0 to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, with Wilfried Zaha scoring against his former club to seal all three points.

That defeat compounded what has been a miserable season for Man United, but the last six months in particular have underlined that huge changes are required at the club after a sharp decline. And their most recent bizarre power play, involving Rangnick using a former colleague at Lokomotiv Moscow, Lars Kornetka, has caused a stir at Old Trafford.

Kornetka was Rangnick’s assistant at Lokomotiv Moscow when he was their head of football performance. And according to The Athletic, during matches he has been working remotely and in communication with coach Ewan Sharp, who has relayed the information to United No.2 Chris Armas through the AirPods that he is often seen wearing.

The use of Kornetka, who hasn’t been paid for his work despite providing extensive footage on United’s player performance and opposition analysis, has left some staff members baffled given that United’s head of performance analyst, Paul Brand, has access to better technology and data. But Kornetka’s role has left Brand out in the cold with Rangnick, even though the process has apparently hampered United’s preparations at times.

The report adds that following a midweek game at Brentford in January, which ended 3-1 to United, the post-game analysis was not completed until close to midnight on the Friday before the Red Devils hosted West