Manchester United's flops have cost beleaguered boss Ralf Rangnick a whopping £1m bonus - and he now faces a decision over whether to walk away from Old Trafford this summer rather than take up his consultancy role.
Rangnick has been left counting the cost of United's failure to secure Champions League football next season and will miss out on the incentive payment. The German would have been entitled to the windfall had he led United to a top-four finish.
He struck the deal with United bosses when he replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November on an interim basis. But as reported by the Daily Star he has been left out of pocket after seeing United miss out on securing a place in European football's elite competition.
United have won just three of their last 11 league games in what is turning out to be their worst season in Premier League history. The fallen giants have slumped to sixth place in the table with two games remaining, and need to finish above West Ham to avoid the humiliation of finding themselves in the Europa Conference League next season. The Hammers are just three points behind United, but have a game in hand and a superior goal difference. United's failure to reach the Champions League is also expected to cost them millions in lost revenue from merchandising and sponsorship bonuses. It was hoped Rangnick would bring some consistency and stability to the team after replacing Solskjaer.
But the former Schalke and RB Leipzig manager has faced a mountain of problems and been unable to unite a fractured dressing room. He will be replaced by Erik ten Hag in June and had been expected to take up a consultancy role to help the Dutchman rebuild the team. However, Rangnick could now decide to negotiate a compensation package with United instead - and walk out on the club to focus on his new managerial role with Austria instead.
Meanwhile, ex-United goalkeeper Raimond van der Gouw has urged Dutch compatriot Ten Hag to make the club a fun environment which enables the players to produce their best form when he takes over. Ten Hag is on course to land his third Eredivisie title in three years with Ajax this weekend and Van der Gouw hopes he can replicate success he has had there with United's players.
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"Of course United want to win trophies, but the most important starting point you can have is a team performance where the players enjoy their football," Van der Gouw told United's website. "That is one aspect that I think Erik will see as key: you need a team on the pitch, not 11 players. You need a team who wants to work for each other and who all enjoy playing football together. When you have that, you have to look further, but that is the base that I’m sure he will look to build.
"If Ten Hag wants United to play the way he played at Ajax, the team has to be working together. The whole team will defend together and put pressure on the ball all over the pitch. If they do that, then it means, for example, that the goalkeeper will be able to come out further and work in more space behind the back four. If there’s no pressure on the ball, the goalkeeper cannot do that because there’s always the threat of the lob, especially in England.
"At Ajax he has done a fantastic job, winning prizes, playing very attractive football and he has become a better manager along the way. But it’s very important that everyone is patient and he is given the time to make the changes that are needed. Like Gary Neville has already said, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola needed time to get where they are now in English football. Chelsea didn’t win everything as soon as Roman Abramovich bought the club. We have also seen in the past many times that success takes time."
