Manchester United's interim head coach, Ralf Rangnick, will go to Old Trafford with a reputation for "reliance on pressure in his style of play", but it is almost certain that the German coach's extensive experience in team development is the real attraction of the English club.
The 63-year-old will take charge of coaching struggling Manchester United until the end of the current season, but he also agreed to work for two years as an advisor to the club, a detail that gives strong evidence of what United hope to benefit from the former Leipzig coach.
Rangnick..a humble history and great influence
In terms of titles, Rangnick's coaching history is relatively modest, having won the German Cup twice with Schalke 04 and the second division title with Hannover, but his reputation and importance in German football is even more impressive.
Rangnick has had a great influence on a generation of German coaches, from Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp and Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel to Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Rangnick was known for his energy-intensive, high-pressure, strong and ferocious playing style that has a lot of fans.
There is no doubt that the United squad, although it does not seem suitable for the style of full pressure, will benefit from some new technical and tactical plans that will be implemented by Rangnick, who contributed to building two teams in Germany, Hoffenheim and Leipzig, and transformed them from relatively unknown clubs to competition among elite clubs.
His work, particularly at Leipzig, focused on the latest training methods, data and sports science, and the signing strategy based on the playing style to which the club was committed.
This approach was adopted in the clubs of the Red Bull group, which includes Austrian Salzburg and New York Red Bulls in the NBA. In 2019, Rangnick was head of sports and development in the Red Bull Group and was responsible for these three clubs.
United sources said that John Mertaf, the director of football who targeted Rangnick after the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last Sunday, is a fan of the German coach's work.
David Horeks, United's Head of Research and Development, visited Red Bull's training center in Salzburg and studied the organisation's working methods.
building Manchester United
Rangnick has not been in coaching for two years, and announced last July that he was setting up a company focused on "building clubs", taking over the head of sports and development at Lokomotiv Moscow.
During Solskjaer's 3-year tenure at the club, United hired some of the most eminent professionals to work in the academy, data, sports sciences and coaching staff.
Rangnick can offer some valuable insights into how to get the best out of the club's talent.
Young coaches such as current interim head coach Michael Carrick, Kieran McKenna and Academy President Nick Cox will all benefit from Rangnick's experience.
In addition, United Executive Vice President Ed Woodward is set to leave the club in the coming months, with Richard Arnold, group general manager, replacing him in the club's leadership structure.
Arnold, who has experience on the business side, may feel it would be beneficial to have a football expert like Rangnick work at the club, while he moves on to his new, broader role.
Klopp between admiring Pranjnik and warning him
Although his immediate assignment focuses on the short term, Liverpool manager Klopp expects Rangnick to have an impact on the team.
Klopp said of his compatriot, "He is a really good man and an exceptional coach, he is a coach with a really great experience. He has taken many different positions related to football, but his first concern has always been to be a coach, and this is his best skill."
"United will be organized on the field, and this is not good news for other clubs," he added.
United will also have to find a permanent coach to take over at the end of the season, and Rangnick, with his vast knowledge and contacts, is well-placed not only to advise on the best option but also to help sign him.
And it may not be necessary if the six months in which he will take charge at Old Trafford go well, then he himself will be the best option, which is what the German coach wishes, of course.