Thiery Henry shields Ralf Rangnick as pundit slams Man Utd players for ‘failing to deliver’

Thierry Henry has shielded Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick by claiming the players are to blame for recent problems at Old Trafford.

Rangnick was appointed on an interim basis in late November following the sacking of club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He was brought in to steady the ship ahead of a long-term replacement being found in the summer.

The German has had a turbulent time, with the Red Devils putting in some sharp performances but also dropping points to the likes of Newcastle, Burnley and Southampton.

United’s ultimate aim is to get back to the top of the Premier League. They haven’t won the English title since influential manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired back in 2012-13.

Rangnick’s predecessors include well-respected coaches such as Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, in addition to Solskjaer.

And Henry reckons the United players should be to blame for their failure to win the league, rather than the managers.

“I don’t like usually to have a go at players but you had a teacher like Louis van Gaal, who is successful,” Henry told CBS Sports (via the Daily Mail).

Thierry Henry defends van Gaal, Mourinho

“They called Mourinho ‘Dictator’ because he was too much into this, too much into that. He was too direct with the players. They players didn’t like it.

“Suddenly you have a friend. They like Solskjaer because he was more of a dad, a nice guy.”

Henry continued: “When is it going to be about the players? They have to deliver.

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“I’m not a Man United fan but when you play for Man United you have to deliver regardless of who the coach is.

“It cannot always be the coach. I’m sorry those guys need to perform and start to understand where they are.”

Following the 1-1 draw with Atletico on Wednesday night, the Red Devils host Watford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Rangnick reacts to UCL draw

Following the draw at the Wanda Metropolitano in the first leg of the Champions League last 16, Rangnick said: “I don’t know if I rescued it but after the performance in the first half, it could only get better. What we played in the first half I still cannot believe. We played without conviction, without aggression and that is why we were struggling.

“Second half we did better, more possession in areas that mattered and if we played another 10 minutes we might have won the game.

“We have to play better in the first half. I was very disappointed by that performance in the first half.

“We have to play with more conviction on the ball. We need more deep runs and the way we scored the goal was exactly that. This is how we have to play against them.”

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