Ralf Rangnick questions ability of some Man Utd players to handle pressure

Ralf Rangnick has confessed that some players in the Manchester United dressing room appear to be struggling with the pressure that comes with playing for the club.

A 1-0 defeat to relegation candidates Everton last time out has left United with a lot of ground to make up if they are to qualify for the Champions League next season.

While this season won't be remembered fondly among fans, Rangnick has warned his players that they cannot afford to cave under pressure - and must prove their character in an attempt to salvage something from this campaign.

"It might be with one or two or three of our players, that the level of expectation is high and some of the players seem to struggle with their own performance," Rangnick told the media.

"But, again, there are no alibis and no excuses. We have to be ready to cope and deal with it. I'm sure they are fully aware of that and I'm convinced and very positive that all the players know about this. It's a test of character and mentality."

Saturday will bring another battle with a relegation-threatened team in the form of Norwich, and Rangnick stressed that another shock defeat for United is 'unthinkable'.

He continued: "It should be unthinkable but we all know in football that things like that can happen. We saw that even in the European cup games and in other leagues. We saw it this week that things like that can happen but this is what makes this ball game so interesting. You never know what the outcome will be.

"I'm pretty positive we will have a reaction against Norwich. This has to happen and we owe it to ourselves and our supporters — and we owe that to the whole club.

"It's a test of character but we have to invest enough energy into the game with regard to total distance sprints, fast runs. We will give them the best possible game-plan and we will try to with regard to line-up and formation.

"Then it's up to the players to show that they're still ambitious and that they want to finish the season on the highest and best possible note."


Source : 90min