“Wouldn’t have changed anything” – Noel Whelan slams Rangnick for latest claim involving transfer at ‘weak’ Manchester United

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan believes signing a striker in the winter wouldn't have made any difference to Manchester United's season.

Whelan's comments came after interim boss Ralf Rangnick recently revealed that the club snubbed his request to bring in a forward in January (as per the BBC).

At the time, the Red Devils only had Cristiano Ronaldo to deploy in the striker position. Edinson Cavani was injured, Anthony Martial had been loaned out to Sevilla and Mason Greenwood was unavailable for selection.

Given Marcus Rashford's poor form and with Jadon Sancho still acclimatizing to the Premier League, it may have made sense to bring in a striker. However, United ended the winter transfer window without any new additions up front.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan stated that a new signing wouldn't have changed the trajectory of Manchester United's campaign. He added that most top players wouldn't have wanted to join the club in January either. Whelan said:

“I don’t think one player would have changed anything. They’re not going to be picking from the top strikers. The best players simply wouldn’t have wanted to go to Man United. They’re nowhere near Liverpool and Man City.”

Whelan went on to opine that these were mere excuses, especially given that the Red Devils had Ronaldo, who has scored 24 times across competitions this season. He continued:

“Look, Ronaldo isn’t a bad centre-forward to have, is he? He’s been banging in goals for them, so let’s not start whinging about that. It’s yet more excuses coming out of the club. A striker wouldn’t have changed anything – they’re weak, they don’t work hard enough – and that’s easy to see.”

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Ralf Rangnick's tenure as Manchester United boss hits new low at Brighton

It is fair to say that Rangnick hasn't had the desired impact at Manchester United since taking over on an interim basis back in December of 2021.

The Red Devils have simply struggled for consistency under the German with several flat, disjointed performances. Manchester United's record under Rangnick is pretty dismal as they have won just 11 of his 28 matches in charge while nine have ended in losses.

The latest of those defeats came over the weekend (May 7), when they took on Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League at the American Express Community Stadium. United were absolutely outplayed as the Seagulls ran out 4-0 winners.

The result also put them out of contention for UEFA Champions League football next season. As things stand, United are sixth in the league table with one game remaining.