Manchester United Transfer News Roundup: Liverpool legend hits out at Cristiano Ronaldo; Ralf Rangnick blamed for Red Devils woes, and more - 14 April 2022
Manchester United are languishing in seventh place in the Premier League standings with seven games to play. The Red Devils are six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Meanwhile, Ian Rush has hit out at Cristiano Ronaldo for his recent behaviour. Elsewhere, interim manager Ralf Rangnick has been blamed for the Premier League giants’ recent woes.
On that note, here's a look at the key Manchester United transfer stories as on 14th April 2022:
Ian Rush hits out at Cristiano Ronaldo
Liverpool legend Ian Rush has criticised Cristiano Ronaldo for his reaction after the Everton game.
The Portuguese stunned the world with his behavior towards an autistic Toffees fan after the defeat. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has since apologised for hurting the fan and breaking his phone.
The mother of the 14-year-old who was the victim of Cristiano Ronaldo's 'phone slap' says Manchester United have handled the situation "terribly" and "just made things even worse". https://t.co/0SluFTDwVJ
Speaking to Gaming, as cited by The Metro, Rush added that Ronaldo has regularly been a frustrated figure at United this season.
“I love Cristiano Ronaldo – he’s a great professional and one of the best players there’s ever been – so it was disappointing to see him take out his frustration on a young Everton fan at the weekend. He was clearly frustrated by a number of things – United had just lost, and he looked to have picked up a knock too – but that’s no excuse for an idol to react in the way he did,” said Rush.
He continued:
“I’m sure he regrets what he did. So many people look up to him and when you’re as big a star as he is, you just can’t get away with that sort of reaction. He made a mistake, and he has admitted as much. Whatever comes of it, I’m sure he’ll take it on the chin. Ronaldo has scored plenty of goals since he’s come back, but he’s cut a frustrated figure for much of the season when things haven’t been going United’s way."
Ronaldo has top-scored for the club with 18 strikes across competitions, but he's all set to endure his first trophyless campaign in 12 years.
Alex McLeish blames Ralf Rangnick for Manchester United’s recent woes
Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has laid the blame on interim manager Ralf Rangnick for United’s recent woes. The Red Devils have struggled in the last few games and have subsequently lost ground in the race to finish in the top-four.
Speaking to Football Insider, McLeish said that Rangnick has been tinkering too much with his starting XI.
“For Man United’s players, it seems they’ve not got a rhythm. There are different players playing every week. Sir Alex Ferguson used to say to me if you’re changing the team every week, that’s when the crowd start to sing: ‘You don’t know what you’re doing.’” said McLeish.
He continued:
“You’ve got to be very careful not to keep making changes. I see a lot of changes in Man United’s teams every other week. I don’t see a consistency of an XI or a nucleus of seven or eight players you can’t leave out. That is in no small way down to the quality of the individuals. If you compare Man United’s individuals to Man City’s or Liverpool’s individuals, then they seem a long, long away,” said McLeish.
There were six changes in the team that drew 1-1 with Leicester City for the Everton defeat last weekend. Interestingly, four players from the team that beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 didn't make the Leicester game.
Gabriel Agbonlahor advises Erik ten Hag not to take charge at Old Trafford
Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has advised Erik ten Hag not to take charge at Manchester United. The Ajax boss is leading the race for the hot seat at Old Trafford.
#MUFC 
Manchester United are prepared to hold direct talk with Ajax to complete the appointment of Erik ten Hag as new manager. The relationship is excellent - €2m clause is not gonna be an issue. 🔴⌛️ #MUFC
Ajax board knows ten Hag has already accepted Man Utd contract conditions. https://t.co/O9UOzeNmPT
Speaking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor said that Manchester United have too many problems and are miles behind Liverpool and Manchester City.
“If I was Ten Hag, I, personally, would not join Man United. They have got a ridiculous amount of problems. Where do you even start with Man United? It’s a nightmare. What I took out of the Liverpool game with Man City was how far ahead they are of Chelsea and Man United and anyone else. They are a million miles ahead,” said Agbonlahor.
He continued:
“Manchester United need a whole new team. I like Bruno Fernandes, and I like Luke Shaw, but apart from that they need a whole new XI to get anywhere close. I’d take four or five out of the starting team now and put them on the bench."