According to reports, he had previously stated that Manchester United needed open-heart surgery to return to the path of success and has now once again questioned the team’s recent performances.

Even a 3-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao, which almost guaranteed Manchester United’s place in the Europa League final, could not persuade Rangnick to praise the team in an interview with Austria’s PULS 4 channel.

He said: “Manchester United only needed a few minor changes, but since then, they have spent €750 million on player signings, and now the situation is much, much worse than before. It’s true that they might win the Europa League and save the season by qualifying for the Champions League, but the rest has been really disappointing. It will be interesting to see what happens. Mid-season, they hired a coach who plays with a three-man defense, while the team was built for a four-man defensive system.”