Manchester United news: Important to raise the energy level, says Ralf Rangnick

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick was pleased to see his side produce an improved display in the dominant 3-1 victory over Burnley on Thursday night. It comes after the disappointing 1-1 draw away at Newcastle United in their last match. The performance in that match was not up to the standard set by a club like United, but Rangnick would have been pleased to see the response on Thursday night. Goals from Scott McTominay, an own-goal by Ben Mee – largely due to good work by Jadon Sancho – and a third by Cristiano Ronaldo put the Reds 3-0 up, before Aaron Lennon quickly pulled one back. No more goals were scored in the second half, as the Reds ended the calendar year with all three points.

Speaking to MUTV, Amazon Prime Video and at his post-match press conference, Rangnick said, “It was, as expected, a really tough and difficult game against a team who play physically and very direct in parts. We knew that in advance so it was important we met the physical and technical demands. When the ball was in their half, we did well and also showed the qualities we have in our transition. [It was] Important to score. In our half, there are things to improve on and we will work on that. It was important today to raise the energy level. Physically and energetically, it was a good performance.”

Rangnick: We had a few problems in the first 15 minutes

“They were trying to put us under pressure early but we expected them do that. They also did it against teams like Manchester City and Chelsea, so it didn’t come unexpectedly to us. We had a few problems in the first 15 minutes, to find the right solutions and take the right decisions, but with the first goal we scored, we got a lot better. We showed how dangerous we can be, how flexible we can play with two wingers and two-full backs, on and off coming into the attack, and the two strikers.”

Scott McTominay was arguably Manchester United’s best player on the pitch against Burnley on Thursday night. The work rate and energy level he showed throughout the match were hugely impressive. He was also a constant threat going forward, with him playing an important role in two of three United goals.

Speaking about McTominay, Rangnick said, “We only decided this afternoon at two o’clock that he would play because he still had some problems with his ankle that he suffered at Newcastle. So it was good to have him available and in the team. At half-time, our team doctor said he would be struggling in the second half after the level of pain but it was important to have him in the team and he was able to play for 93 minutes. A very important player for us today.”