Rangnick claims that, with no pre-season, he was forced to compromise because he “couldn’t really physically develop and raise the level of the team”, something Ten Hag is keen to address as he seeks to improve players’ conditioning and implement a pressing game where intensity levels can be sustained.
Ronaldo is due to miss the Palace match with a recurrence of the hip flexor problem that has troubled him at different junctures this season.
Ten Hag has stressed that he “can’t wait to work” with Ronaldo but United are keen to reduce the scoring burden this summer on the Portugal forward – whose 24 goals accounted for just over a third of the team’s goals in all competitions – and accept that, at 37, he cannot be expected to play every game next season.
Rangnick said: “Cristiano scored a few goals but, again, Cristiano – and I’m not blaming him at all, he did great in those games – but he’s not a pressing monster. He’s not a player, even when he was a young player, he was not crying, shouting, ‘Hurray, the other team has got the ball, where can we win balls?’
“And the same with quite a few other players; so we had to make some compromises at one stage, maybe we made a few too many, that’s also possible, but we never found the right balance between what do we need with the ball and without the ball.
“Even in possession, we didn’t create as many chances as we should have done.”
Juventus face competition from PSG to sign Pogba
Ten Hag is keen for United to do their transfer business as quickly as possible to allow time for new recruits to bed in.
The recruitment of forwards and midfielders is being prioritised but Ten Hag also wants a quality centre-back and a right-back, with the club open to offers for Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Paul Pogba is not expected to play any part against Palace due to the calf injury he suffered last month and has effectively played his last game for United. Juventus are hoping to beat Paris St-Germain and Real Madrid to re-sign the France midfielder on a free transfer, six years after he left for Old Trafford in an £89?million deal.
Juventus have offered Pogba a three-year deal worth around £10?million a season following the latest round of talks with his representatives in Turin this week, although PSG have not given up hope of snatching the player from under the Italian club’s noses.
PSG are offering more money than Juventus and are expected to make one final attempt to persuade Pogba to move to the French capital now his international team-mate, Kylian Mbappe, has turned down Real to stay with the club.
Having failed to prise Mbappe away from PSG and having lost out to Manchester City on Erling Haaland, it remains to be seen if Real now make a late push to capture Pogba ahead of Juve or PSG.
