“I hope that we can get them in here in the next one or two weeks, but I cannot tell you any names.”
In his first press conference as Manchester United manager, Ralf Rangnick confirmed he wanted to add to his coaching staff but said Brexit red-tape could cause delays. Chris Armas may step into the breach.
The German, who is interim boss at United until the end of the current season, had his own work clearance issues before taking over the club for Sunday’s win over Crystal Palace. That hold-up saw Michael Carrick keep up his caretaker role for the Arsenal game.
On Friday, the morning after Carrick led United to a 3-2 win over the Gunners and then informed the club he was moving on, Rangnick told reporters he was looking to bolster his coaching and back-room staff. He commented:
Ralf Rangnick (back row) flanked by Darren Fletcher and Kieran McKenna at Old Trafford. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)“I will obviously try to find one, two, maybe three people who can join us in the one or two weeks but, due to the Brexit regulations, it’s not too easy.
“Many of my former colleagues, no matter if it’s video analysts or assistant coaches, are in long-term contracts with big clubs so they are not available right now and we have to be a bit smart and clever and find the right people.”
Chris Armas lined up for Man United role
While Ralf Rangnick will be unable to recruit many coaches at European clubs as respective seasons are ongoing, he may bring in a coach that has plenty of Major League Soccer experience.
Chris Armas played for Chicago Fire and LA Galaxy in his club career and made 66 international appearances for the United States. He also lined out in eight internationals for Puerto Rico in the early 1990s.
After retiring in 2007, he took up as assistant coach role with Chicago Fire. He had a stint in women’s soccer, in America, before taking over a New York Red Bulls head coach in 2018. Rangnick would have been aware of the appointment as he was manager of RB Leipzig at the time.
Armas was with New York until 2020 then had a less than stellar turn at Toronto FC, winning only two of 15 games in the MLS season before being moved on. At present, he is free and Rangnick knows him so both go in his favour. ESPN is reporting that the German can make a ‘small number’ of coaching additions and Chris Armas may be the first extra recruit.
