"Will hopefully raise our level of performance" - Ralf Rangnick expecting Manchester United players to thrive under hostile conditions at Leeds United
Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick is expecting his team to raise their levels in the Premier League clash against Leeds United on Sunday.
The two English clubs, who share a bitter relationship, renewed their rivalry with new vigor following the Whites' promotion to the Premier League after a gap of 16 years last season.
United v Leeds.
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When asked about the heated rivalry, Rangnick said:
"To be honest, I didn't know that until a week ago but most of my colleagues have already indicated this is one of the biggest rivalries in the Premier League."
He drew parallels to the situation from his time in Germany, explaining.
"Of course, I also had quite a few of those local derbies in Germany - Schalke against Borussia Dortmund, to give you one example, and quite a few others."
Rangnick feels big clubs like Manchester United will know how to raise their levels for such high-voltage games. He said:
"But our players have so much experience playing against teams like that in this atmosphere, and it will hopefully raise the level of performance we play in this environment. It's great. I think everybody prefers to play in a sold-out stadium rather than an empty one. We're very much looking forward to that game."
Manchester United boss Rangnick wary of Leeds threat
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Despite looking forward to the match with excitement, Rangnick is wary of the threat posed by Marcelo Bielsa's men, saying:
"This is probably a team that plays with the highest amount of tempo and momentum, and it's important we don't allow them to play like that."
The German boss, however, also brought up the fact that Leeds are not the best team defensively in the Premier League. Rangnick stated:
"On the other hand, they have conceded quite a few goals - apart from Norwich (City), the team with the highest amount (of goals conceded). We're well prepared for the game."
Rangnick assures dressing room conflict has settled down
Manchester United have been at the centre of controversy of late regarding a dressing room tussle.
The power struggle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire has created an internal rift at the club.
Rangnick, however, assured the club's locker room atmosphere has improved and that a few players who were unhappy in January are settling down again.
The Manchester United boss said:
"I can only tell you from my personal experience in the last 12 weeks, yes there were players unhappy until the closure of the window. This has improved, for sure, and the atmosphere in the locker room is better than it used to be a couple of weeks ago."
The Red Devils are currently fourth in the Premier League with 43 points from 25 games.