Ralf Rangnick knows how to scout players. During his long career, which involves being a manager of several German clubs and also in his roles as Sporting Director and Head of Global Sport during his time with the Red Bull Group, he has shown this on many occasions.
He was involved in signing the likes of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Timo Werner, Joshua Kimmich and Dayot Upamecano, alongside numerous others who have had successful careers at the highest level.
His transfer targets are usually young players under the age of 23, as he believes that at this age, they are best suited to playing his system, and he can also mould them while they still have much of their careers ahead of them.
One player that Rangnick missed out on was Jude Bellingham, who at his young age is currently making waves for Borussia Dortmund and is considered one of the world's best talents.
Speaking to Athletic back in 2020, Rangnick said of the young Englishman, "Jude Bellingham - we don't really have to talk about him. 'He's an absolute top player, one of the best. I have rarely seen a 17-year-old playing at such a level.
"We scouted him for 18 months at RB [Leipzig]. He's simply extraordinary."
With Rangnick moving into a consultancy role at Manchester United after his initial spell as interim manager, it could mean that the club might move for Bellingham in the future. Still, given his standing in the game, it is doubtful that the 18-year-old will be short of suitors, nor will he come cheap.
But one of the main reasons United fans should be excited about Rangnick's comments is that his scouting system spotted Bellingham's talent early on.
Under John Murtough, United has already seen an overhaul of its youth recruitment. It has already resulted in signing top prospects such as Hannibal Mejbri, Willy Kambala, Alejandro Garnacho, Alvaro Fernandez, and Charlie McNeill, to name just a few.
By combining Rangnick's expertise with Murtough's, United's youth recruitment could further improve. The club could regain its position of having the best academy in the United Kingdom or even the world.
At the moment, that honour probably goes to Chelsea, whose Cobham academy has not only produced several players for the London club's first team, but top players who are vital at other club's as well, such as Fiyako Tomori and Conor Gallagher.
With this combo at the helm of youth recruitment, United may miss out on the current Bellingham, but they may have a chance of picking up the next one.
There are a lot of positives that will come under Rangnick, which include structural and organisational changes over his two and a half year spell. Still, in this initial period, the changes to how the team is coached and the team's recruitment will be the most obvious, and as United fans, we should be excited.
Would you like to see Jude Bellingham at Old Trafford? Follow our United On My Mind writer Casey Evans on Twitter and get involved in the discussion in the comment section below.
