Ralf Rangnick's four-point proposal to Man Utd board after experiencing club's implosion

Ralf Rangnick has warned the Manchester United board it could take up to three transfer windows before they can rival Manchester City and Liverpool, after outlining his four-point plan to help the club return to top of English football.

The German watched on as his side squandered the chance to close the gap to top-four rivals Arsenal after a 1-1 draw with Leicester on Saturday — their third home draw in five games. The Gunners, who have two games in hand, will move six points clear if they beat Crystal Palace on Monday evening, which could bring an end to Man United's hopes of securing Champions League qualification.

United were knocked out of the competition by Atletico Madrid in March, confirming they will finish the campaign without a trophy for the fifth consecutive season since their Europa League triumph in May 2017. That is despite spending £120million last summer to bring in Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane.

While Rangnick may have been responsible for some of their below-par performances and results, the 63-year-old believes there is an inherent lack of identity within the club. And the former RB Leipzig coach has provided recommendations to improve their fortunes on and off the pitch, including following the path of their rivals Liverpool and Man City.

According to The Telegraph, Rangnick has outlined his vision which includes: signing players that fit their new manager’s philosophy, recruiting aggressive and physical footballers after recognising United are “too soft”, profiling a player’s DNA and taking a patient approach to transfers, with three transfer windows needed to catch up to their rivals.

The first step in United's plan will be to appoint a new manager, with Erik ten Hag