Since it was announced that Ralf Rangnick would be taking over at Manchester United, there’s been a big focus on what he’ll do to improve the team.
At the time of writing, United have slipped to ninth in the Premier League after a torrid run of just one win in seven league matches.
Although Rangnick won’t be in charge against Chelsea this weekend, there’s a hope that the high-octane philosophy he’s sure to implement at Old Trafford can turn around United’s faltering form.
Yet beyond that, it’ll be interesting to see what moves the club now make in the January transfer window, and next summer.
Rangnick has proven to be a master of building and overseeing an elite scouting network that has unearthed and recruited multiple future Premier League stars.
As a result of both his time in Germany, and more recently in Russia where he was Lokomotiv Moscow’s sports and development manager, he’s sure to have his finger on the pulse in terms of which players are currently impressing most across the continent.
With that in mind, MEN Sport analyses three exciting names that we could see United under Rangnick pursue in this coming winter transfer window.
Karim Adeyemi
Given his role in helping to build and shape the Red Bull group’s industry-leading scouting network, it really wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rangnick return there in order to search for new United talent.
And one budding star who could well be attracting his interest is RB Salzburg forward Karim Adeyemi.
The forward started the 2019/20 season with Salzburg’s feeder club Liefering in the Austrian second division, however his displays with them saw him return to Salzburg’s first team by the time that campaign had concluded.
In his first full season last year, the forward netted an impressive nine goals, whilst also registering a further 11 assists across all competitions. That broke down to a remarkable goals contribution average of 1.39 per 90.
In the league alone, he averaged 0.98 goals per 90 minutes from an xG of 0.8. That signals a decent over-performance based on chances created for him, but not one you’d consider unsustainable.
Moreover, there's been no big drop off in his output this season, scoring 15 goals in just 21 appearances so far.
Many have labelled him the next Erling Haaland due to both his ability and the two players' similar career paths, but perhaps this time, with Rangnick in charge, the youngster won’t be another future star who passes United by.
Dani Olmo
Although playing for Red Bull’s other major flagship European club, Leipzig, Olmo isn’t a direct product of their system
He actually came through at Barcelona’s famous La Masia, yet he left the Catalan giants in 2014 and joined Dinamo Zagreb in order to pursue a path towards regular first-team football.
Though it was a risky move for the then 16-year-old, it paid dividends. He developed into one of the Croatian outfit’s star assets, impressing so much that Rangnick’s old club RB Leipzig swooped in January 2020 and bought him for £18million.
The right-footed thrilling attacker has been a huge hit since his arrival, registering 26 goal contributions in less than two years. His ability to play on the right, left and through the middle makes him a highly versatile asset for Leipzig.
Beyond wanting them to be dangerous, Rangnick likes his attackers to have the ability to play multiple roles — just like Olmo can. And at 23, the Spaniard has still got his best years ahead of him — making him an appealing prospect to United and their rivals.
Sardar Azmoun
Having been operating in Russia since the summer, it’s a guarantee that Rangnick will have a good idea of who are the division's star performers. Therefore he’s bound to be all too aware of Zenit forward Azmoun.
Although he’s been tongue-in-cheek labelled the Iranian Messi, the 25-year-old forward is worthy of such praise and has attracted many admirers thanks to his attacking flair and eye for goal. He’s already scored nine times this season, including against Juventus in the Champions League at the start of this month.
Tottenham were among of the big clubs reportedly interested in the summer, though with his contract due to expire in a year's time, they opted against making a move.
Should Rangnick have studied Azmoun, then there’s every chance United could get a deal struck in the New Year, before competition for his signature hits crescendo in the summer.
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