Man United Boss Ralf Rangnick Speaks for First Time Amid Rumours of Mass Exit of Players

• Rangnick said there was a need for players to act professionally within Manchester United
• His sentiments came in the wake of explosive reports suggesting a number of senior players were unsettled
• United face Aston Villa in the FA Cup in their next fixture

Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick has urged his players to ‘act in a professional way’ , amid reports that up to 14 senior players are unhappy at the club.

Rangnick suffered his first defeat as United boss on Monday, January 3 , when his side slipped to a surprise defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The defeat left United four points behind Arsenal, who occupy the final Champions League spot, and the overall performance of the night left fans questioning the commitment of players to the club.

Soon after, reports were rife that a number of players were ready to quit Manchester United as they had reportedly become disillusioned at the club.

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Players who were rumoured to be discontent were mostly the ones who have been subjected to the bench more often this season.

While speaking at a press conference on Friday, January 7, the German tactician tried to make sense of the current situation at the club.

“When you have a big squad and only 10 can play and three be substituted, you have quite a number of players who don’t play and are not in the squad,” he said.

“Those players are not happy, it is clear. It is about the players to deal with the situation in a professional way.”

Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, Donny Van de Beek and Dean Henderson are among the players who have been rumoured to want out of Old Trafford.

For Martial, he is likely to leave the club during the January transfer window, but is holding out until a fair bid from a club he fancies is tabled.

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On the issues of players wanting to leave, Rangnick said he is in the habit of talking to players directly to get a sense of where their minds are.

“We have players' contracts expiring in summer, one or two wanting to leave, it's about the player dealing with that in a professional way. Every player has opportunity to show up in training. If I realise this is not the case I'll address with players directly.” He went on.

United face Aston Villa in their next fixture in the FA Cup, and will face the Villains once again days later in a Premier League encounter.

Villa sign Coutinho on loan

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have bolstered their squad following the signing of Phillipe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona.

The deal will now see Coutinho reunite with his former teammate Steven Gerrard, currently the manager at Aston Villa.