Euro 2024: Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United redemption turns Austria into dark horses
- German has restored his reputation after an ill-fated stint at Old Trafford by taking the Austrians close to their first Euro quarter-finals
Turkey have felt at home at Euro 2024 thanks to a huge expat population in Germany, but it is Austria who will be in familiar surroundings for Tuesday’s last-16 clash in Leipzig.
Under the leadership of Ralf Rangnick, Austria have been the revelation of the tournament so far, topping a group that contained France and the Netherlands, thanks to their coach’s trademark brand of energetic football.
Rangnick’s first foray into international management has reestablished his reputation as one the game’s brightest thinkers after an ill-fated and short-lived spell in charge of Manchester United.
Initially brought to Old Trafford as a sporting director, Rangnick was thrust into the dugout when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November 2021 and he lasted just six months as United limped to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League.
However, he is far from the only coach or player over the past decade to thrive once free from a toxic environment at the English giants.
It was Rangnick’s record in building the sporting organisation behind Red Bull’s football empire in Salzburg and then in the German city of Leipzig that had attracted United in the first place.
