Ralf Rangnick responds to Manchester United players communicating on social media

Ralf Rangnick believes Manchester United players would be better off not airing their grievances on social media after recent incidents with Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard.

Martial denied Rangnick's claim that he declined a squad selection for the 2-2 draw at Aston Villa last month on Instagram and Lingard disputed Rangnick's assertion the player had requested additional leave to 'clear his mind' on Twitter on Thursday.

Lingard has been embroiled in a number of social media incidents during his time at United, including a video he filmed when the team coach was attacked at West Ham in 2016 and an infamous holiday video where he captured a friend simulating sex on a hotel bed.

The United forward has also received some flak this season from fans for appearing to flirt with West Ham via his Instagram account.

"It’s always better," Rangnick said when asked if players should communicate privately. "I never ever read or communicate by those social media accounts. I don’t exist there (on social media) and wouldn’t have time to do that, so therefore it’s always better and I always communicate with the players directly.

"I did that with Anthony Martial and Jesse but maybe I’m a different kind of generation. My generation didn’t grow up with those kind of things. I can even remember a time when there were no mobile phones or internet, so for me it’s always better to communicate directly.

"But again it’s time now to look ahead. I know in both cases what I said to the players and what happened so for me there’s no reason to discuss this anymore."

The absences of Lingard and Edinson Cavani for the FA Cup fourth round tie with Middlesbrough became more contentious in the wake of the defeat. Both players were granted additional time