Ralf Rangnick is a “special” coach who will not only change Manchester United, but change the Premier League.
That’s according to former Newcastle and Chelsea striker Demba Ba, who called the United interim boss a “genius” after learning from him as a player and a coach.
Rangnick’s arrival at Old Trafford has been hailed by many within the game, with the German having been an influence on the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, as well as Ba.
Rangnick managed Ba during his early days as a player at Hoffenheim, and developed him into the striker who went on to secure a move to the Premier League.
Since retiring from playing in the summer, the 36-year-old took it upon himself to travel out to Russia in order to observe Rangnick at work in his role as head of sports and development at Lokomotiv Moscow.
And Ba was left staggered at the depth of his former manager’s knowledge, and believes he will use that to become a success at Old Trafford.
“He is scary: he has so much knowledge of the game and so much energy. He never stops,” Ba told The i.
“When I was speaking to my wife when I was in Moscow, I would drop her a text at 11pm to say, ‘Let’s speak when I’m finished with Ralf’. Then I finally tell her at 2am, ‘I’m back in my room for some sleep’. Then it’s back for breakfast at 9.30am – and that’s Monday to Monday.
“He told me when we started, ‘I am an ‘A’ person, but I surround myself with A+ people’. That’s what makes him so special. He’s so confident that he doesn’t hesitate to surround himself with people who are going to improve him.
“He always told me: ‘Don’t be a ‘B’ person, because they surround themselves with Cs and Ds because they are scared’. One of his big skills is seeing the A+ people and bringing them along with him. He has a power of conviction that is tremendous.
“I saw him speaking with players to tell them what he wanted them to do and it is a method of communication which is so different. It is tailored to the individual and is about improvement.
“There are not many people who can bring that level of detail to their coaching or their direction, and you can see the players buy into it. I could see the improvement from day to day and the way the players were changing.
“He did it with me when I was a player. When you see the whole plan that he sets out to you, you cannot say no. I knew then that this guy was special.”
Ba added: “He will change things in the Premier League. He will 100 per cent be a success and the club will change because of him. If he is given the chance to work how he wants to work, there is no doubt that he will be a special coach for them.”
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