‘I Spent Twelve Years at Manchester United – Ralf Rangnick Humiliated Me’

Throughout the recent history of Manchester United, the brief time that Ralf Rangnick served as the club’s interim manager is frequently regarded as an afterthought. Upon his arrival in 2021, following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s firing, he was given the nickname “godfather of the Gegenpress,” and he made the promise to revolutionise United’s playing style.

However, his reign was only able to survive until the conclusion of the 2021/22 season, which resulted in the club’s lowest-ever Premier League point total from that season. Fans were left feeling disillusioned and wondering what the point of his employment was because the high-intensity football that he had promised never materialised.

The relationship that Rangnick had with his fans and even some of the players had become strained by the time the game was over. In instance, a certain defender who had been with the team for a long time was left “raging” over a questionable decision, which was ultimately the impetus for his final departure.

Rangnick Left Phil Jones with a ‘Humiliated’ Feeling
United had the Englishman on staff for a total of twelve years.

Phil Jones, who has been a staple for Manchester United for more than a decade and has been well-respected for his commitment, despite the fact that he has struggled with injuries, is one of the players who has served the club for the greatest amount of time.

Rangnick’s decision to hook the Englishman at halftime during an away match against Liverpool, who are fierce rivals, left the Englishman feeling as though he had been wronged. Jones had only made one appearance for the first team before he was thrown into the deep end at Anfield. However, he didn’t exactly put a foot wrong and was in fact one of the better-performing United players on the game, which made the manager’s choice all the more confusing. Jones was thrown into the deep end at Anfield.

During the High Performance podcast, Jones recounted the scenario and said the following:

In the dressing room, I have never lost my head, and I have never been so emotionally invested in the experience that I have lost myself in the dressing room.

In addition, I believe that was the single instance in my professional life in which I fully lost it. I had a complete and utter rage. raged out. That he made me feel degraded.

“First and foremost, humiliated me in front of a crowd at Anfield, frightening competitors, as well as the fans, my family, and the players,” stated the official.

At the break, we were trailing by a score of 2-0, performed poorly, and I don’t believe we had a single shot on target in the first half. Nothing was flaking off at all. As it turned out, I had performed fairly well in the game.

“Taking into consideration where I had been and what I had been going through in terms of my knee and injuries.

“When I look back at the game, I will highlight anything that I did, including the fact that I did not give the ball away and that I remained calm under pressure. To say that I was great would be an understatement; yet, I did not deserve to be taken off the pitch at halftime.

There were a lot of players on the pitch who were far worse than I was, and I was the one who was easiest to take off. What a convenient scapegoat you are!

“I ripped off my boots and slammed them down on the ground, and I yelled out, ‘You’re taking the p*** out of me.'” “Calm down, calm down,” was the consensus of everyone. If I think about it now, I find myself becoming angry because it really got to me.

As a result of the issue that occurred in Merseyside, Jones would only be allowed to make two more substitute appearances before the season came to an overall conclusion.

A year after being released from Manchester United, he eventually hung up his boots in 2024, having spent the majority of the 2022/23 season on the treatment table. He had been out of action for the entire season. According to Ferguson, Jones had the potential to be United’s “best ever player.”
Finally, in the year 2024, the defender decided to call it quits in his playing career.

Many people had high expectations for Jones once he joined the club in 2011. One of those people was Sir Alex Ferguson, who was the manager at the time and is considered to be one of the best managers in the history of the sport. Ferguson even went so far as to imply that the former Blackburn Rovers defender may go on to become a club icon:

The way he is shaping out, he has the potential to be our best player of all time. There is a possibility that he is one of the best players we have ever had, regardless of the position he plays in. At the age of 21, he is going to be an outstanding performance on the pitch. On the pitch, he is able to play in any position. Through his instincts and his ability to read the game, he exerts such a significant amount of impact. “He exudes a sense of determination.”

Throughout his career with Manchester United, Phil Jones

Occasion

Outward manifestations

Objectives

2011–2012

41%

2.

In 2012/13

a 24

0

2013–2014

39;

3)

2014–2015

a 24

0

2015–2016;

a 13

0

2016–2017;

26.

0

2017–2018

“25”

0

2018–2019

a 24

0

The year 2019/20

8.

1.

The year 2020/21

0

0

2021–20222

5.

0

The year 2022/23

0

0

However, his progress was frequently hampered by injuries, and his career began to deteriorate to the point where he was only able to make thirteen appearances in his final four seasons.

Following his retirement, the international player who had been capped 27 times reflected on his career, which had been decorated while falling short of what his actual ability could have accomplished via his playing career. As he pointed out:

The Premier League is something I’ve won, and I’ve played more than 200 games for United. When I was younger, I participated in two World Cups. I brought home the FA Cup and the Europa League.

“And you’re trying to turn around to me and say, ‘I really feel sorry for you because of your career?'” Absolutely not, man. Not at all; that is not how it works.

“Of course, I would have loved to play more, obviously, I would have liked to play more. To tell you the truth, I’ve already experienced the dream.