"I don’t think it would have made sense" - Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick responds to Gary Neville's 'tone deaf' comments
Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has hit back at Gary Neville's 'holidaying' comments. The Red Devils were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 against Atletico Madrid before the international break.
Players and staff got some time off in the middle of the season. Most of them went away on short holidays, attending sporting events, among other things.
Rangnick attended the second Test between the West Indies and England in Barbados. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were spotted in Dubai, while Jesse Lingard visited Milan and met former United player Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Co-chairman Avram Glazer attended the Formula 1 Grand Prix event in Bahrain.
I remember a time when United players , managers , executives wouldn’t be seen in their local Italian after a draw at home let alone getting knocked out of Europe. This last week we’ve seen a global tour of F1 , Concerts, Cricket and UFC events. This lot are Tone Deaf!
Neville criticised the decision to holiday after a painful exit from Europe, to which Rangnick replied:
"In a way, I understand, but that brings us back to where we currently are. These are things that can change, and hopefully, we will never be in a situation where we don't have a competitive game for two-and-a-half weeks."
Speaking about the extended mid-season break for Manchester United players, the German boss said:
"I can understand that former players and TV pundits have to have a strong opinion; this is pretty normal. On the other hand, the situation was a particular one. We've had two-and-a-half weeks since the last game against Atletico and an international break, and we've only had six or seven players in training."
The Manchester United manager added:
"I don’t think it would have made sense, although maybe for public perception, it might have made sense to show, 'listen, we’re training every day with five or six on-field players'. But I don’t think it would have made sense. If you do that then those six players will physically not be in a better state of mind."
Rangnick continued:
"So that’s why we decided to give them a couple of days off and the same for players on international duty and then have them back for a week and now prepare from Tuesday for the game. Most of those players who were on international duty only came back yesterday, so we only had one day to prepare for the game."
Gary Neville's 'tone-deaf Manchester United' comments on players holidaying midseason
Watching the players and staff holidaying midseason, the former Manchester United captain tweeted (reported via TalkSport):
“I remember a time when United players, managers, executives wouldn’t be seen in their local Italian after a draw at home, let alone getting knocked out of Europe,” Neville wrote on Twitter. "This last week we’ve seen a global tour of F1, Concerts, Cricket and UFC events. This lot are Tone Deaf!,” he continued.
🏴
Full time at Old Trafford: Manchester United 0 - 1 Atlético Madrid (1-2 agg). #UCL
MANCHESTER UNITED ARE OUT! ⚽🏴🇪🇸 https://t.co/qYMnio4VtP
He explained that players can rest but should not be broadcasting their fun times in the wake of a disappointing defeat. Neville said:
“I expect them to adapt to circumstances and go on holiday but quietly! They can go on holiday, relax, take time off. However if you’ve been knocked out of the Champions League, FA Cup, League cup and floundering in the League, I wouldn’t think it’s too much to ask to lie low a bit!!”
Manchester United will be back in action with a Premier League game against Leicester City on Saturday. They are sixth in the league standings, four points adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal, albeit having played a game more.