"Stop ranting" - Gary Neville and Micah Richards involved in war of words over Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick
Manchester United were hammered to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City at the Etihad in the Premier League on Sunday. A brace each from Kevin de Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez sealed the deal for City while Jadon Sancho scored the only goal for United.
Full-time.
#MUFC | #MCIMUN
The big Manchester Derby brought out a lot of reactions from fans and pundits all around the world. Some of the most interesting ones came on Sky Sports with Gary Neville, Micah Richards, Roy Keane and Jamie Redknapp.
Neville and Richards even ended up clashing with each other over United's appointment of interim manager Ralf Rangnick. It all started with the former stating that Rangnick will not be the permanent manager next season at Old Trafford. Richards then questioned the appointment in the first place.
Speaking on Sky Sports (as quoted by Daily Mail), Neville said:
"I can absolutely, categorically tell you Ralf Rangnick will not be the manager next season. Not because he's doing a bad job - he's just not being the manager next season."
Richards then interjected and said:
"So why give him the manager's job in the first place? It's about the here and now - are you just getting rid of this season then? Is that what you're doing?"
Neville was frustrated by this and hit back, saying:
"You're ranting emotionally without really making sense. Chelsea have appointed interim managers until the end of the season, just to get them to the end of the season."
Richards then defended himself and made his point aggressively, saying:
"Just because you're connected to Man United doesn't mean my opinion's irrelevant. Rangnick's best work is done behind the scenes. You brought him in as interim, he's not done great, he's losing all credibility, he's going upstairs - you think a new manager's going to listen to him?"
Neville hit back and asked Richards for a solution, saying:
"Stop ranting, what should they have done?"
To this, Richards replied with the opinion that Manchester United should've signed Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte. The Red Devils were heavily linked with Conte in November but ended up delaying the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. This saw Spurs take up the opportunity to sign the Italian.
Richards said:
"Gone for (Antonio) Conte! Conte was available when he went to Spurs! He was the best available manager at the time. And because he doesn't fit the 'Man United way'? The Man United way is you don't win any trophies! Conte's done it!"
"Do you want to be mediocre for the next 10 years?" - Micah Richards on Manchester United not wanting Antonio Conte
After Richards suggested that United should've signed Conte, Neville stated that Manchester United didn't want him. So Richards hit back and said:
"Why would you not want Conte? You don't want winners now? Is that where Man United are? You don't want winners any more?"
Neville admitted that he agreed with Manchester United's board for not wanting to sign Conte. He said:
'I agree with them not wanting him. Conte's not a manager for Man United. He comes in for one or two years, does a great job, no problem..."
This prompted Richards to ask:
'Do you want to be mediocre for the next 10 years? Is that what you want?"
Neville eventually concluded, saying:
"They wanted to appoint Pochettino or Ten Hag on a long-term project and they needed someone to get them until the end of the season. Manchester United need a longer term approach to a manager."
🗣 "All of his credibility as a manager has gone out the window."
@MicahRichards and @GNev2 argue about why Ralf Rangnick was brought in as a interim manager and not the likes of Antonio Conte https://t.co/1FCikJCB80
With the win, Manchester City extended their lead at the top of the table to six points over Liverpool, who have a game in hand. Manchester United, meanwhile, dropped to fifth in the table.