sport news Brighton's battering of Manchester United proves Graham Potter should be in ... trends now

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It was an hour or so after the drubbing at Brighton when Ralf Rangnick, in response to a question about the invertebrates in his care, said he had to 'defend' his players. 

Too bad they didn't feel any such compulsion towards their own goal, and other punchlines.

Rangnick will disappear into snowy mountains soon enough, and how will he be remembered? Or, more appropriately, where will the balance of blame fall between him, the playing staff and the club's infrastructure for what has been an abysmal era at Manchester United?

Doubtless it did the German no favours at all in that regard to oversee what was arguably United's worst performance of their worst Premier League campaign — compounded by the fact that the defeat came at the hands of a manager who is doing far more with considerably less.

There is nothing that flags grotesque underachievement quite like a hiding from a team that punches a long way above its weight.

Which takes us to Graham Potter, whose name is being mentioned with greater enthusiasm at Tottenham with each passing game.

Imagine, just days before Rangnick was somehow gifted the job at United, Potter was being booed by his own fans for Brighton's draw with Leeds, and quite pointedly suggested he might require a 'history lesson' to better understand the sense of entitlement.

Six months on and Brighton are close to securing a finish in the top half of the division.

By a stretch, it has been their best Premier League season – and one achieved against the difficulties of losing two centre-halves in Dan Burn and Ben White.

If Brighton hold on to ninth, it will represent a leap of six places on their previous high mark. That is, quite simply, not meant to happen in this jungle with such favourable economics.