Manchester United have returned to training ahead of Monday's Premier League clash with Brentford, with a whole host of issues at Old Trafford bubbling beneath the surface.
The Red Devils will be looking to end their miserable season on a high as the Bees come to town, needing to win their final three games under interim manager Ralf Rangnick to avoid their lowest-ever points tally in a Premier League season. But while United legend Roy Keane insists their focus should be on the here and now, speculation surrounding the club's future is unavoidable.
As new boss Erik ten Hag finishes off his five-year reign at Ajax before jumping into the Old Trafford hot seat, Rangnick is tasked with dealing with a number of hotly-debated topics, such as the future of Cristiano Ronaldo. After scoring a sublime equaliser in Thursday's dire 1-1 draw with Chelsea, the 37-year-old became the subject of debate over whether Ten Hag will see him as part of his plans, having been tipped to link up with Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain.
Rangnick had his say post-match, singing the Portuguese's praises. "Not only the goal that he scored today, his whole performance, his attitude, how often he helped in our own half, at the age of 37, a player like him, this is not normal to do that," the 63-year-old declared to Sky Sports. "He showed that today and if he plays like he played today, he can still be a great help for this team.
"In the end, it is both Erik's and also Cristiano's decision what they want to do so I think it is not for me to speak about that but as I say the performance of Cristiano today was really great."
But that is not the only decision that the Dutch tactician will need to make upon his arrival, with the question of who will captain the Red Devils raging on amid Harry Maguire 's poor form. In typically candid fashion, Rangnick suggested that a vote should be used to decide whether Maguire stays on.
"I can only tell you what I have done in the past when I was head coach or manager because in Germany it's called Mannschaftskapitan – the captain of the team," he explained. "I strongly believe the captain should be elected by the team. We always had a board of four or five players – we called it the Spielerrat [players' council] – elected by the players.
"The player with the highest amount of votes was the team captain at the end. That was how I did it. I know a lot of head coaches don't do it that way. That's what I would do if I was still the manager next season, but in the end I’m not. This is something that Erik will have to decide."
Mirror Football understands that Rangnick's private opinion on the United squad has been less than favourable in a comprehensive dossier for Ten Hag to analyse, although he has publicly shut down those suggestions. "This is completely false, completely untrue," Rangnick told reporters ahead of the Chelsea match.
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"The board has never asked me to prepare a dossier, neither for the board nor for Erik. I also never said anything to nobody criticising the attitude of the players as being unprofessional or selfish. This is not true, I will always protect my players. I have never realised any issues of them being unprofessional or selfish."
As for his own future, the acclaimed German coach will continue to work with the club in a consultancy role, despite officially being appointed as the new manager of Austria on Friday. "I will take over as national team manager of Austria at the end of the season but will continue my consultancy with Manchester United," Rangnick said in a statement.
"I'm really looking forward to playing my part in helping United become a real force again. It is an honour for me to take on the role of [Austria] manager. The prospect of contesting the European Championships in Germany with a young team hungry for success fills me with great anticipation."
