Rudi Garcia opens up on losing Man United job to Ralf Rangnick in 2021
· Yahoo Sports
Former Belgium manager Rudi Garcia has opened up on applying for the Manchester United job. The Red Devils have just completed another managerial upheaval at Old Trafford, with Mauricio Pochettino appointed as Michael Carrick’s replacement.
The Englishman was dismissed earlier this week after a disappointing run that has seen the English giants manage just three wins in 15 games across all competitions this season. United have registered just one win in 10 Premier League games, and are 18th in the league table at the moment.
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Meanwhile, Pochettino, who is currently in charge of the United States men’s national team, will depart his position next week after the game against Haiti and take charge at the Theatre of Dreams. Fans will hope that the Argentine can finally break the vicious managerial cycle that has gripped the Red Devils since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club.
Pochettino becomes eighth permanent United manager in just over a decade
Pochettino will take charge as United’s eighth permanent manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. The legendary Scot retired in the summer of 2013 and the Red Devils are still struggling to replicate his success story at the Theatre of Dreams.
The English giants initially appointed David Moyes as Sir Alex’s successor, but he was removed from his position before the end of the season. Louis van Gaal came in next, won the FA Cup and departed in the summer of 2016.
José Mourinho took over as the Dutchman’s replacement, and secured the Europa League and the EFL Cup before things went haywire in his third season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was initially appointed as the Portuguese’s temporary replacement, before securing the full-time job after a wonderful run.
The Norwegian’s spell showed tremendous promise, but United failed to back him in the transfer market and the vicious cycle struck again. Solskjaer lost his job in November 2021 and the Red Devils initially considered Garcia as his replacement. The Frenchman has now opened up on his talks with the club management.
United interviewed Garcia for managerial position
Speaking to The Athletic, Garcia revealed that he interviewed for the hot seat at Old Trafford after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer departed in December 2021. He said: “Yes, I interviewed twice to work in this fantastic club, one of the best clubs in the world.”
“I’d like to work in England and I met Darren Fletcher and John Murtough. It was an interim role and they asked me what I would do once it was over. I told them I would do so well that I would be staying in Manchester, but they gave the job to Ralf.”
Ralf Rangnick was selected for the job and guided the team to a sixth-placed finish before Erik ten Hag took charge in the summer of 2022. The Dutchman was replaced by Ruben Amorim in November 2024, who then made way for Carrick in January this year, before the job fell to Pochettino this month.
Garcia, meanwhile, took charge of Al Nassr in June 2022 and oversaw Cristiano Ronaldo’s blockbuster arrival in the Middle East. He was briefly in charge of Napoli next, before taking over the Belgium national team in 2025. After guiding them to the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer, the Frenchman vacated his position.