Ralf Rangnick will not take up Manchester United consultancy role

Manchester United have announced that Ralf Rangnick will not take up a consultancy role with the club due to the demands he is set to face as the new manager of Austria.

The German took charge of United on an interim basis for the last six months of the season after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked last November and oversaw a sixth-placed Premier League finish. However, the club grew impatient and brought in Erik ten Hag as the new manager after a trophyless season.

Rangnick was expected to remain at Old Trafford for the next two years in a consultancy position. However, he was appointed as the new Austria boss last month and that has apparently made it difficult for him to fulfil both duties.

"We would like to thank Ralf Rangnick for his efforts as interim manager over the past six months," a statement said on United's website.

"By mutual agreement, Ralf will now focus solely on his new role as manager of the Austria national team and will not therefore be taking up a consultancy role at Old Trafford. We would like to wish Ralf the best of luck in this next chapter of his career."

Incoming boss Ten Hag had refused to talk about Rangnick's position with the club when asked during his unveiling if he would welcome the 63-year-old's consultancy role next season. "That's on the club," Ten Hag said earlier this week.

Rangnick's Austria kick off their Nations League campaign on June 3 against Croatia before taking on Denmark and France.

Despite their troubles on the field, Manchester United's latest accounts showed a 30 per cent increase in revenue for the three months until March 31 this year.

United, who endured their worst season in the Premier League era, had a total revenue of £152.8 million ($192 million) for the first