Ralf Rangnick keen on meeting Ferguson; says will coach Manchester United using his 'DNA'

As Manchester United's interim manager Ralf Rangnick takes charge of the club's first game against Crystal Palace on Sunday, he explained how he will take inspiration from legendary coach Sir Alex Ferguson in his managerial style.

The German coach, who is famously known for his 'Gegen-press' style of football, has a difficult job on his hands as he aims to help the Red Devils get back to where they belong. The Old Trafford outfit is currently in seventh place in the Premier League standings with 21 points, 14 behind leaders Manchester City, but with a game in hand.

Ralf Rangnick excited to meet Sir Alex Ferguson again

Ralf and Sir Alex Ferguson have met each other on a couple of occasions when the former was in charge of Schalke 04. The two met in the two legs of the 2011 UEFA Champions League semi-final when Manchester United secured a spot in the final with a thumping 4-1 win. While speaking to British reporters for the Sunday newspapers, Rangnick said,

"I'm very much looking forward to meeting him (Ferguson) in the next two or three weeks. Darren Fletcher has already told me that he wants to arrange a lunch or a dinner. I saw him obviously when we played against each other. After the second leg, he invited me into his office at Old Trafford for a glass of wine.

At the time he enjoyed it more than I did because we lost 4-1. The team he had and the team we had… the gap was just too big at the time. "I met him again in 2015 at the awards for Kicker sports magazine. We had dinner together at the time, and it was superb. Once again, I’m very much looking forward to meeting him again in person."

Rangnick will draw inspiration from Ferguson in his managerial style

On being asked whether he will draw inspiration from Sir Alex Ferguson's managerial style, Ralf Rangnick replied,

"The important thing is to stick to and celebrate this DNA that you still have but implement it and transfer it to modern football. 

This is the most important thing and, in fact, it’s pretty easy in football. You need to have an idea of how you want to play football, what you stand for, a certain identity. How do we want to be seen? How do we want to play? How do our fans want us to play? 

And then make sure you have the best possible recruitment so you can sign the best possible players for this kind of football and at the same time, in the medium or long term, have the best possible manager to train and coach this group of players."