Man United fears new boss Ralf Rangnick won’t be in the dugout for Thursday’s home clash with Arsenal and are scrambling to have him in place against Crystal Palace three days later.
Rangnick’s appointment until the end of the season was confirmed on Monday by Manchester United. But immediately there were concerns that he would be prevented from starting the job by work-permit red tape and new Covid restrictions.
Club staff were told at Carrington on Monday that Rangnick is unlikely to be in charge until the end of the week, while the 63-year-old German waits for his permit to be approved.
The problem has been worsened by stricter Covid rules for travelers arriving in the UK that came into force in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Regardless, United remains hopeful Rangnick will take over in time for Palace’s visit on Sunday. A club spokesman said last night: ‘We are working calmly and carefully to secure a visa for Ralf in line with all relevant regulations and protocols. These are processes which have to be followed and we are doing so as swiftly as possible.’
However, the situation is hardly ideal for a coach who only has half a season to make an impact as it is, and raises more questions over United’s decision to wait until after the two-week international break to sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Caretaker boss Michael Carrick will remain in charge until Rangnick’s arrival after overseeing a Champions League win over Villarreal and a draw at Premier League leaders Chelsea.
Meanwhile, United also confirmed that Carrick and the rest of Solskjaer’s backroom team —assistant Mike Phelan, coach Kieran McKenna and goalkeeper coach Richard Hartis — will be staying at the club.
Rangnick will be allowed to bring in a small number of coaching staff, although his trusted video analyst Lars Kornetka is staying at Lokomotiv Moscow to replace him as director of sports and development.