Man Utd rejected Ralf Rangnick request to sign Erling Haaland & Luis Diaz

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Man Utd rejected Ralf Rangnick request to sign Erling Haaland & Luis Diaz

Manchester United rejected a request from Ralf Rangnick to sign six players, including Erling Haaland and Luis Diaz, back in January.

The club sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after a poor start to the 2021/22 campaign and hired Rangnick to serve as interim manager until the end of the season, at which point he would move into a consultancy role.

The Austrian failed to improve the club's fortunes though, suffering a number of poor results and eventually guiding Man Utd to their worst ever Premier League points tally. He often stated that the squad needed 'open heart surgery' and that serious investment on the transfer market was required.

He didn't get that investment while at the helm though, with the club not making a single signing during the January window.

It has now been revealed that there were six players he asked to be signed in that window, including two that have since joined Premier League rivals and thrived.

BILD journalist Christian Falk reports that Rangnick tried to convince the board to sign Haaland and Diaz.

Alvaro Morata, Dusan Vlahovic, Christopher Nkunku and Josko Gvardiol were also requested by Rangnick, but his pleas fell on deaf ears and Man Utd refused to move for any of them.

Diaz ended up joining Liverpool at the end of January instead after nearly joining Tottenham, playing a big part in their run to the Champions League final, second-placed in the Premier League and FA Cup triumph.

Haaland, who Man Utd were keen on even in Solskjaer's stint as manager, signed for Manchester City in the summer and is currently the Premier League's top scorer by a comfortable margin.

Rangnick continued to struggle without a striker and ultimately didn't end up staying at the club in an off-pitch role as initially planned, taking over as Austria manager instead.