Kieran Maguire can’t believe what Rangnick has proposed at Man United
It is “strange” that Ralf Rangnick wants to abolish the League Cup given that Man United are keen to maximise the number of games they play.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the interim boss’s controversial recent remarks.
As per the Daily Mail last Thursday (23 December), Rangnick said the cup is “for the third and fourth division teams to improve the financial situations.”
The German manager went on to cite player welfare and encouraged conversations over the possibility of scrapping the 60-year-old competition.
United were knocked out of this season’s League Cup at the first hurdle after losing 1-0 to West Ham in September.
The Red Devils’ involvement in the shelved Super League and remodelled Champions League are at odds with Rangnick’s proposals, claims Maguire.
“It seems a strange comment given that United were out of the League Cup at the first go,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“It’s an opportunity for fringe and young players to get some competitive action.
“Is it lucrative for lower league clubs? It can be, but it’s still a lottery if you are that lower league club.
“By the time that United come in, they have missed the first two rounds and a lot of the smaller clubs have got kicked out.
“So I did find his comments very odd given that his club wanted Super League, which involved more matches.
“They were also keen to have some form of pre-season tournament through Super League and they were in favour of the Swiss-style Champions League.
“It’s not that they want fewer fixtures, it’s that they want more fixtures that are will leave United better off.
“That’s indicative of the thinking of the United hierarchy.”
United have won the League Cup five times in their history.
The winners of the competition earn just £100,000 in prize money.
In other news, pundit tells Man Untied to sell Anthony Martial “at any cost” in January as new offer submitted.