Takumi Minamino Roberto Firmino Liverpool 2021-22Getty

Man Utd interim boss Rangnick claims credit for Liverpool success: 'Six or seven used to be my players'

Ralf Rangnick says he could claim some of the credit for the success enjoyed by Liverpool in recent years, with Manchester United’s interim boss pointing out he signed “six or seven” of the players currently starring at Anfield when “nobody knew them”.

The German tactician is preparing to be reunited with those familiar faces on Tuesday with his current employers preparing for a testing Premier League trip to Anfield.

Man Utd will have their work cut out against title-chasing rivals, with Jurgen Klopp boasting Sadio Mane, Naby Keita, Ibrahima Konate, Takumi Minamino, Roberto Firmino and Joel Matip on his books – who have all worked with Rangnick in the past.

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What has Rangnick said?

Rangnick, who inherited the reins at Old Trafford from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021, has said of the challenge he faces when taking Man Utd to Merseyside: “They are good, they are extremely good.

“"It's no coincidence that they're as good as they are. Jurgen has built that team over the last six-and-a-half years. Six or seven of those players used to be my or our players when we signed them for our clubs when nobody knew them.

“It's no coincidence that this is probably the club with the highest number of players from our former clubs because their approach, their style of football, the way they want to play is pretty similar.”

Where did Rangnick work with Liverpool stars?

Rangnick was sporting director of the Red Bull group between 2012 and 2020, meaning he oversaw the development of a number of players now at Anfield.

Senegalese forward Mane spent time with Red Bull Salzburg before moving to English football at Southampton, with Japanese star Minamino also working in Austria, while Guinean midfielder Keita and French defender Konate were snapped up by Klopp from RB Leipzig.

Brazilian striker Firmino worked with Rangnick at Hoffenheim before making a big-money move to the Premier League, and Cameroonian defender Matip was also managed by the German in the Bundesliga at Schalke.

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