Manchester United considered Ralf Rangnick as a viable option to takeover from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the wake of the club's chastening 2-0 defeat to Man City earlier this month, The Athletic have revealed.
The 63-year-old has reached an agreement with the Red Devils over taking over on an interim basis until the end of the season, before taking up a two-year consultancy role at Old Trafford.
United have been on the hunt for an interim boss following Solskjaer's sacking on Sunday, with Cristiano Ronaldo & Co languishing in eighth place in the Premier League amid a poor start to the campaign.
And The Athletic reports that the German's credentials were being assessed after United's derby defeat to Premier League champions City on November 6, with Solskjaer's job under serious threat.
One week later, intermediaries were asked to ascertain the viability of Rangnick leaving his position as head of sports and development at Lokomotiv Moscow - a role he has held since July.
Direct contact with the German, dubbed The Professor, was made after United's defeat at Vicarage Road, and Rangnick held talks with Murtough, chief executive Ed Woodward and managing director Richard Arnold.
Rangnick flew into London on Tuesday for face-to-face talks with United's chiefs at the club's Mayfair offices. This time, United's chief negotiator Matt Judge accompanied Murtough, Woodward and Arnold to speak with the German.
Man United sounded out Ralf Rangnick as a possible interim boss after their defeat to City
Former United midfielder and now technical director Darren Fletcher was also involved in talks with the 63-year-old. The Scot was away with the squad for their Champions League clash with Villarreal, and discussed tactics and footballing philosophy with Rangnick over Zoom.
By Thursday morning, Rangnick had agreed a six-month deal to be the club's interim manager until the end of the season, with a two-year consultancy role to follow.
Before being involved in football operations in Moscow, Rangnick held a similar position with RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg, helping the two new clubs reach the summit of their respective leagues.
While United were unable to land No 1 target Mauricio Pochettino - with PSG slamming the door shut on the notion of prising the Argentine away at this stage of the season - the Red Devils were keen on recruiting a manager that is ultra-technical and focused on tactics, rather than relying on motivational qualities to get the best out of the group as was showcased by Solskjaer.
United suffered a 2-0 defeat to arch rivals City and were miles off the pace at Old Trafford
Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to rescue his side as things went from bad to worse for United
Rangnick fulfilled that brief and the 63-year-old will meet and assess Solskjaer's old backroom staff of Mike Phelan, Kieran McKenna and Michael Carrick upon his arrival, with the trio kept on for the purposes of continuity, much to the bemusement of club legend Paul Scholes.
Former Schalke boss Rangnick has also demanded for his own video analyst to be brought in, alongside a trusted assistant. The Red Devils have taken no
