Manchester United's interim manager Ralf Rangnick said the club requires an "open heart operation" if they are to turn things around at Old Trafford.
United named Ajax Amsterdam coach Erik ten Hag as their new manager. The 52-year-old signed a three-year deal and will succeed Rangnick at the end of this season.
Ten Hag is the fifth permanent manager to be appointed by United since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 following David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Rangnick has been in interim charge since Solskjaer was sacked in November 2021.
The Red Devils were thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool in midweek, a defeat which left them in sixth place in the table, 23 points behind leaders and neighbours Manchester City.
They also face an uphill struggle to reach the Champions League next season, three points and a spot behind Arsenal, who have a game in hand. The teams will face each other on Saturday.
"You don't even need glasses to see and analyse where the problems are," Rangnick said.
"Now it's about how do we solve them? It's not enough to do some minor amendments – cosmetic things. In medicine, you would say that this is an operation of the open heart.
Liverpool 4-0 Manchester United ratings
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LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker – 7. The Brazilian made a double save from Rashford and Elanga during Liverpool’s flat period in the second half. He gave the team the wake-up call they needed. EPA -
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7. The 23-year-old rampaged forward in the first half. Sancho’s presence after the break meant he had to be more cautious, but he oozed class. Getty -
Joel Matip – 7. The 30-year-old was untroubled by United’s forwards. His contribution to the second goal showed how good he is with the ball at his feet. Reuters -
Virgil van Dijk – 7. The Dutchman seemed uncertain about Rashford’s positions at times in the first half but was strong in the air and in the tackle. His passing was effective. AP -
Andrew Robertson – 8. The Scot was in fine fettle down the left, defending with characteristic steeliness and attacking with intent. He was a catalyst for the third goal and set up the fourth. AFP -
Jordan Henderson – 7. The captain was the king of second balls in the first half, pouncing when possession was in question. He tired a little after the break but retained his appetite for work. EPA -
Fabinho – 8. The Brazilian choked off any United creativity and ensured Fernandes was kept out of the game. He also got into shooting areas before being withdrawn for Milner with four minutes left. Reuters -
Thiago Alcantara – 9. The 31-year-old ran the match and was particularly dominant in the first half. His passing was outstanding until he made way for Keita with 10 minutes to go. Getty -
Mohamed Salah – 9. The Egyptian set up the opening goal and scored the second and the fourth. The United defence was reduced to chaos every time the ball came near the striker. Reuters -
Sadio Mane – 9. The pass that the Senegalese sent to Salah for the second goal was a thing of beauty. He scored the third with a shot that looked almost casual but was wonderfully precise. AP -
Luis Diaz – 9. The Colombian scored the first goal, was involved in the second and made the third in another splendid outing. He gave way for Jota with 21 minutes left. EPA -
SUBS: Diogo Jota – 7. The Portuguese replaced Diaz in the 70th minute and his fresh legs brought new fear for the defence. He laid on Salah’s second goal. AP -
Naby Keita – 7. The Guinean joined the game in the 80th minute for Thiago. He was eager – perhaps too much so, as he could have seen red for a stamp on Lingard. PA -
James Milner – 7. The 36-year-old entered the fray with four minutes to go for Fabinho. As usual, he crammed a lot of action into his cameo and put himself about. AP -
MANCHESTER UNITED RATINGS: David de Gea 5. It was always going to be a difficult night for the Spaniard. And how it came from Liverpool’s excellent front three, who all scored and assisted goals. AP -
Victor Lindelof 4. Difficult night in a back three alongside Jones and Maguire. Hit some promising long balls. Way off the level of players he was up against. Diaz was faster than him. EPA -
Phil Jones 3. What could we expect from a player who doesn’t start and is then thrown in against a side chasing the quadruple this season? What we expected is what we saw. Withdrawn at half time. AFP -
Harry Maguire 3. Another poor performance by the much-maligned United captain. Pulled out of position by a Liverpool side who drew United out of their deep formation. Reuters -
Aaron Wan-Bissaka 3. Back in the team in an ultra-defensive formation with five defenders, he was continually exploited by Liverpool and was no match for the superior players like Diaz and the superb Thiago. EPA -
Diogo Dalot 3. Switched from the left to the right to try and get to grips with Liverpool. Couldn’t. Looked out of his depth. Reuters -
Nemanja Matic 3. When the Serb passed the ball back to concede a corner after 18 minutes, it summed up United’s inept start. Like asking a man to hold the sea back. He couldn’t have done it at his peak, he certainly can’t do it now. Reuters -
Paul Pogba NA. Walked off soon after Liverpool went ahead on four minutes. Not worthy of a mark. Most United fans would not be concerned if they never saw him wear the shirt of their team for years. AP -
Bruno Fernandes 2. Gave the ball away too much. Hit a 58th minute free-kick over the wall to nobody. Booked. Deeply frustrated. Apologised to the fans after. It’s not good enough. EPA -
Anthony Elanga 3. Started up front before moving towards the right. A boy against men. Almost no threat at all to Liverpool. Getty -
Marcus Rashford 2. Little service with such a defensive formation and struggled to read the balls which came his way. Ran at the Liverpool defenders with limited effect. Had a good chance when Liverpool were leading 2-0. Getty -
SUBS Jesse Lingard 4. On for Pogba. Battled but making a house from jelly would have been easier for him. Struggled to make the ball stick to his feet. One of many set to leave after this season. EPA -
Jadon Sancho 5. On for Jones at half time. Saw more of the ball than his teammates as United enjoyed their best spell after the break. AP -
Hannibal Mejbri 6. Youngster gave more effort in the final minutes than most of his teammates did for the entire match. He’s entering the team at one of the lowest moments in their modern history. Getty
"If this happens and everyone has realised that this has to happen and if people want to work together then it makes sense. I believe it doesn't take two or three years to change those things. This can happen within one year."
However, Rangnick backed new manager Ten Hag to deliver, saying there was enough evidence to suggest the Dutchman can turn the club's fortunes around. Ten Hag was appointed by Ajax during the 2017/18 campaign and led them to the Dutch league title in 2019 and 2021, as well as the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.
"We don't know each other in person but from what I've seen of him with Bayern Munich [reserve team] and Ajax now, I like his football," Rangnick said.
"I'm pretty positive with a full pre-season and having the chance to build and mould his own staff with a new team, we'll see a different team and improvement on the pitch.
"I knew he was a candidate and told the board from what I had seen that he would be a good choice."
"The most vital part is that the club manages to get in the best possible players and we have the attitude, the energy," Rangnick added.
Meanwhile, Rangnick revealed midfielder Paul Pogba, who is set to miss the remainder of the season with a calf injury, will not renew his contract with the club.
"As it seems right now, he will not renew his contract. Maybe the club or Erik will also not want to renew the contract, I don't know, but it's most likely he won't be here anymore next season," the manager said.
