Ralf Rangnick reportedly recommended four highly-rated players to the Manchester United hierarchy before stepping away from his interim role at the club - including Joško Gvardiol, who was outlined as a 'must-buy' target.
Rangnick was hired by United to steady the ship on a temporary basis after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was axed, with the German agreeing to take up a consultancy role to work with whoever the club appointed as their new permanent manager at the end of last season.
However, Rangnick endured a torrid time at Old Trafford and opted to take on a new role with the Austria national team just before he was due to embark on the consultancy role that he had previously agreed.
It's now been revealed that in Erik ten Hag's first week at the helm, Rangnick highlighted some players that he felt United should pursue this summer - including Gvardiol, who is one of the most coveted defenders in Europe after a stunning season with RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga. The 20-year-old had been linked with a move to Tottenham in the summer. However, it is believed that the centre-back is set to be unattainable this year.
According to The Manchester Evening News, Rangnick also recommended Gvardiol's Leipzig teammate, Konrad Laimer, while he had also identified the German outfit's prolific forward, Christopher Nkunku, earlier in the summer before the 24-year-old had committed to signing a new deal with the club.
Rangnick also flagged both Julian Alvarez - who has since signed for Manchester City - to the Old Trafford hierarchy in January. Rangnick also urged United to try and thrash out an audacious deal for Erling Haaland, but the club refused to deal with the striker's late agent, Mino Raiola.
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Although Rangnick expressed a desire to meet with Ten Hag to conduct an official handover after his appointment was confirmed, the pair only spoke on the phone before Rangnick departed the club just six days after the new United boss was introduced at an official press conference.
Since taking charge, Ten Hag and United have struggled to land a whole host of the Dutchman's preferred transfer targets - including Frenkie de Jong and Jurrien Timber. Ten Hag has managed to bolster his squad with three players with Eredivisie experience; Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez.
United are still in the market to try and acquire some fresh faces, but links this week to Adrien Rabiot and Marko Arnautovic have left fans majorly underwhelmed.
