Ralf Rangnick has opened up on his decision to reject overtures from Chelsea earlier this year, only to accept a job at Manchester United months later.
Rangnick was speaking at his first press conference at Old Trafford since being confirmed as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s interim managerial successor, with a work permit granted on Thursday to allow his tenure to officially begin.
The German was restricted to a purely watching brief during the eventful 3-2 win over Arsenal and will take charge of United for the first time when Crystal Palace come to town in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Rangnick - who will coach the Red Devils until the end of the season before taking on a two-year consultancy role - covered a wide range of topics during his first media call in English football, including why he declined to join Chelsea back in February.
The Blues were looking for a replacement for Frank Lampard, eventually settling on Rangnick’s protege Thomas Tuchel, who was an instant hit as he won the Champions League and now has his team flying high at the Premier League summit.
“At the time, when Chelsea contacted me in February, they only spoke about the option to become interim manager for four months, without any prospective to work in the long-term together,’ Rangnick said on Friday.
“Here now, we are talking about six-and-a-half months. We only have one third of all the games played in the Premier League. As you all know, we have also agreed upon a two-year advisory role after those six-and-a-half months.
“In the end, to be honest, if a club like Manchester United contacts you for such a role, you cannot possibly turn it down.”
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