Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish has questioned Manchester United's management plan after they hired Ralf Rangnick on a temporary basis for an initial six months.
After his interim deal until the end of the season is done, Rangnick will move upstairs and take a two-year consultancy role.
But the German, who is friends with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, has already hinted he may stay on as United manager for longer.
Rangnick got off to a winning start on Sunday as the Red Devils beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Old Trafford.
And Dalglish, who won multiple trophies for Liverpool as a player and as a manager, has called into question why United would let the 63-year-old head upstairs if he has a successful second half of the campaign.
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Alternatively, if it goes wrong for Rangnick, the Anfield great wonders whether the next person to enter the Old Trafford hotseat will want to be 'associated' with someone who has failed.
"Ralf Rangnick has been appointed as interim manager until the end of the season," Dalglish wrote in the Sunday Post. "But what happens after that?
"If Ralf is a success, would it really be wise to let him leave the head coach’s role in the summer to become a football consultant at the club for the next two years?
"This appears to be the scenario the Old Trafford hierarchy have planned, and it’s widely accepted that Ralf will stand down at the end of the season.
"From the outside, it looks like they already have a good idea of who the next permanent head coach is going to be.
"I’d imagine it would need to be someone who is going to be comfortable working with Ralf.
"But if the new guy comes in, would you want to be associated with Ralf if he doesn’t do well?
"The flip side is that if he does do well, then you are risking your neck trying to follow a success story.
"So it will be intriguing, regardless of how it goes, and there could be a potential problem, either way."
Liverpool faced United at the end of October, winning 5-0 at Old Trafford thanks to a Mohamed Salah hat-trick and goals from Naby Keita and Diogo Jota.
That defeat signalled the start of the end of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's reign as Red Devils boss.
Klopp and Liverpool welcome Rangnick and United to Anfield in March 2022.
