We’re guessing United supporters choked when reports came out on the ball island that the self-proclaimed football professor Ralf Rangnick was mentioned as a candidate for the vacant sporting director job. Now there are assurances from Germany that this is highly unlikely.

Rangnick persuaded Manchester United management that he was the man who could clean up after what he thought was a blissful Ole Gunnar Solskjaer mess. Time showed two things: It wasn’t Solskjaer’s mess, Rangnick was definitely not the right coach at Old Trafford.

On Sunday, United dumped sporting director Dan Ashworth after five months in the job, and not long after, Austrian national team coach Rangnick was mentioned as a candidate for the job. The German journalist Christian Falk has checked out with his sources what is happening on this front.

“It is true that there are some tensions between the Austrian Football Association and Rangnick. The president resigned due to a fight with Rangnick. Now some in the English press claim that United have him on their shortlist to become their next sporting director, but my sources say that there has currently been no contact and call from United on the Rangnick side. So it’s unlikely at this current stage,” Falk told Caughtoffside.

No contact. Very unlikely that Rangnick will return to Old Trafford.

thanks.