Ten Hag, 54, was appointed manager in 2022 after Rangnick’s seven months in charge.

The German, now in charge of Austria, guided United to sixth in the Premier League but won just 11 of his 29 matches.

Rangnick concluded that the club required “open-heart” surgery and their troubles could not be solved through “minor changes”.

Ten Hag, who signed a one-year contract extension this month, says Rangnick’s analysis was correct.

“Rangnick was absolutely right,” Ten Hag said in an interview with Dutch newspaper AD Sportwereld.

“We have been working very hard on this for two years, but he said it exactly right: it is a thorough, very complex operation. And I knew when I started that it was going to be a tough job.”

United have undergone major changes off the pitch since Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a 27.7% stake in the club last December.

Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell have all joined in positions at board level this year, while the club have committed £50m to improving the training ground.

Forward Joshua Zirkzee and defender Leny Yoro have joined from Bologna and Lille respectively in the past week, while Ten Hag has confirmed interest in Bayern Munich and Netherlands centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.

“It remains to be seen whether De Ligt will come,” said Ten Hag.

“Of course I know Matthijs well, I’m not going to deny that. I wanted to sign him two years ago, but he had already gone a long way with Bayern Munich.”

Despite working with De Ligt at former club Ajax, Ten Hag says it was United’s scouting department that suggested the centre-back as a transfer target.

Ten Hag also confirmed that forward Jadon Sancho, who last appeared for the club in August 2023 and spent the second half of last season on loan at Dortmund after falling out with the manager, is available again for selection.

“Everyone can make a mistake,” said Ten Hag.

Sancho and Yoro both started as goals from Amad Diallo and Joe Hugill saw United beat Rangers 2-0 at Murrayfield in a friendly on Saturday.

“The standard was much better, we were much more on the front foot,” Ten Hag told MUTV. “It was enjoyable to watch.”

The former Manchester United interim boss has transformed Austria’s fortunes since he took charge two years ago.

Austria topped a group including France and the Netherlands to reach the knockout stages in Germany.

They now have their sights set on a first European Championship quarter-final – but must first negotiate a last-16 tie against Turkey in Leipzig.

“I said at the beginning of the tournament it is not impossible to become champion or get to the final,” Rangnick said.

“We are realistic. There is only one way to get as far as possible which is to take care of the next match. This philosophy helped us to get to Leipzig and this is the only way to get further in the tournament.”

Turkey boss Vincenzo Montella said his side face a tough test against a “complete team” who are “perhaps the best team as a unit”.

Austria thrashed Turkey 6-1 when the sides met in a friendly in March.

Montella said: “They are a team that presses very aggressively high up the pitch, very consistently and they are excellent in transition.

“They remind me of a club team because they are able to recognise all different match situations.”

Former Manchester United boss Rangnick, 65, was negotiating with the club earlier this week.

He was expected to take over from Thomas Tuchel, who is leaving at the end of the season.

“I am the Austrian team boss with all my heart,” Rangnick said.

“I would like to expressly emphasise that this is not a rejection of FC Bayern, but rather a decision for my team and our common goals.”

Rangnick will lead Austria at this summer’s European Championships in Germany, and is expected to stay for the remainder of his contract, which expires in 2026.

Bayern are not speaking with any other managers, and Rangnick is the second to remove himself from the running after Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso had also been linked with the role.

Alonso’s side ended Bayern’s bid for an 11th consecutive Bundesliga title this season, while the Munich club drew the first leg of their Champions League semi-final 2-2 at home to Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Rangnick had a six-month stint as Manchester United interim manager during the 2021-22 season, as well as spells in charge of Ulm, Stuttgart, Hannover, Hoffenheim, Schalke and RB Leipzig.

Austria reached the last 16 of Euro 2021 before being knocked out by eventual champions Italy.

Current Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel will leave the Allianz Arena at the end of the season and Rangnick has been among those tipped to replace his fellow German.

Rangnick, 65, is currently in charge of the Austria national side who he is preparing for the upcoming European Championship.

“There has been contact from the side of Bayern Munich and I have informed the Austrian Football Association,” Rangnick told 90minuten.at.

Asked when he would need to consider that interest seriously, Rangnick said: “If Bayern say: ‘We want you.’

“And then I would also have to ask myself: ‘Do I really want this?’

“If I want to do something else I will first discuss it with the Austrian FA.”

Rangnick, who had a six-month stint as Manchester United interim manager during the 2021-22 season, indicated any decision he makes will not be driven by money.

He said: “That doesn’t matter to me at all. For me it’s about other things: can I make a difference? Is there a chance of developing a team and being successful?

“My focus is on the Austrian national team. We are completely focused on the European Championship.”

Rangnick has a respected coaching reputation in Germany.

He set Ulm on course for promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time before spells in charge of Stuttgart, Hannover, Hoffenheim, Schalke and RB Leipzig.

He won the German Cup and reached the Champions League semi-finals with Schalke in 2011.

Bayern’s next manager will be looking to take them back to the top of German club football after Bayer Leverkusen halted their run of 11 consecutive Bundesliga titles this season.

Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso had been linked with the Bayern job but has elected to stay with the newly crowned champions.

The German took charge of United on a caretaker basis for the last six months of the recently concluded 2021/22 season after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November.

Rangnick led the club to a sixth-placed finish in England’s top-flight with 58 points, their lowest total in the Premier League era, as they just did enough to qualify for the second-tier Europa League.

The 63-year-old had been expected to stay at Old Trafford for the next two years in a consultancy post, but last month he was appointed as the new manager of Austria and it appears holding the two jobs at once is no longer a viable option.

“We would like to thank Ralf Rangnick for his efforts as interim manager over the past six months,” said a United statement.

“By mutual agreement, Ralf will now focus solely on his new role as manager of the Austria national team and will not therefore be taking up a consultancy role at Old Trafford.

“We would like to wish Ralf the best of luck in this next chapter of his career.”

Only nine days ago, Rangnick told the media he had been in contact with new United manager Erik ten Hag about “all the different areas where I could maybe of help”.

But Ten Hag said Rangnick’s consultancy post “is on the club”.

United lost in the fourth round of the FA Cup to Middlesbrough and were knocked out of the Champions League in the last 16 by Atletico Madrid.

Under Rangnick, they also failed to qualify for next season’s edition of the Champions League, European football’s premier club competition.

In a press conference by the Austrian FA, Rangnick was appointed the new national team manager until 2024, with a clause inserted into the contract which states that the deal will be renewed for another two years if the country qualifies for Euro 2024.

Rangnick was quoted by the Austrian FA website as saying: “It’s an honour for me to take on the role of team boss. I’m particularly excited about the prospect of contesting the European Championships in Germany with a young team hungry for success.”

The 63-year-old replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at United at the end of November, agreeing to take temporary charge of the team until the summer, before remaining in a consultancy role.

However, results have been disappointing under Rangnick, with United currently sixth in the Premier League, five points behind Arsenal in the fourth and final Champions League spot for next season as the campaign draws to a close.

Ajax manager Erik ten Hag was recently announced as United’s permanent boss for next season, although Rangnick will, as planned, still stay on as a consultant.

That role will encompass six days a month for the next two years, meaning the German would be able to combine the work with his Austria duties.

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“I’m very much looking forward to it,” said Rangnick, when asked about his United consultancy role.

“We haven’t spoken, Erik and myself, we’ve spoken with the board about the contract and the profile of the job, the content of the consultancy role.”

Maguire has been some way short of his best this term, first under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then under Rangnick since November, with the United defence conceding more goals in the Premier League than bottom club Burnley.

But Rangnick – though not seeking to gloss over the 28-year-old’s form – sees no reason to make a shift the armband.

The United boss said: “I think when he came back after his injury he did extremely well. He had a very good performance, a very good game against West Ham.

“In the past two games he had some weaker moments, against Southampton and when we conceded the goal at Burnley, but he’s our captain and I don’t see any reason to change that.

“He’s a player who has to develop, get better, like all the other players.

“The way that we are playing now is new also to him because in the English national team he was used to playing in a back three and here at Manchester United, in most cases a back four, but still not being as proactive, not with that kind of rest defence always being on the front foot when we are trying to defend.

“This is something also new to him and it will also take some time for him to get used to that, to get adjusted to that.”

United take on Brighton tomorrow at Old Trafford as they seek to climb back into the top four above West Ham, who drew with Leicester on Sunday.

In a game filled with much hype and anticipation, the Red Devils were the brighter of the two sides, exploding out of the blocks with a new-look counter-pressing style in a 4-2-2-2 formation, going after their opposition high and winning possession back early.

Chances were in fairly short supply, however, as half opportunities for Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes went begging as Alex Telles hit the top of the crossbar with a fizzed free-kick just shy of midway through the second half.

United struggled in the second half to break down the organisation of the Palace defence as Patrick Vieira’s men held firm, but Rangnick had the last laugh: Fred, a divisive name throughout the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer regime, was trusted in the engine room by the new manager, and the Brazilian curled a right-footed effort into the top corner on 77 minutes to send the home fans into raptures and devastate Vieira, who would have felt that his side’s defensive resilience had been deserving of an unlikely point.

Not quite the perfect performance, but the ideal start for the new man in the hot seat, as United march on to an enticing run of fixtures where Rangnick can really get his teeth into his new side.

The 63-year-old German will be introduced to the media on Friday and will take charge of the team for the first time at Crystal Palace two days later.

“As all paperwork has now been completed, we will hold an in-person press conference with Ralf Rangnick at Old Trafford at 9:00 am tomorrow morning,” said a United statement.

United confirmed the appointment of Rangnick as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s short-term replacement on Monday, just over a week after sacking the Norwegian following a 4-1 humbling at lowly Watford.

But Rangnick, who was manager of sports and development at Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow, had to wait for a work permit to begin his role at Old Trafford.

Caretaker manager Michael Carrick will take charge for a third time against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Thursday, the former United midfielder having overseen a Champions League win at Villarreal and a Premier League draw at Chelsea.

Rangnick will remain as manager until the end of the season before starting a two-year consultancy role at United.

Carrick said on Wednesday that he had yet to speak to the former RB Leipzig boss.

“I am in this position, as I was for Villarreal and Chelsea,” he said. “I’m getting the boys ready for the (Arsenal) game.

“It is pretty much as it was for both games. Because of the process we haven’t been able to (speak).”

United are 10th in the Premier League ahead of the match against Arsenal, 15 points behind leaders Chelsea and six points adrift of fourth-placed West Ham.

The 20-time English champions have won just one of their past eight Premier League matches but will be desperate to take advantage of a kinder fixture list over the next few weeks.

The 63-year-old takes over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was sacked on 21 November following a defeat by Watford.

Rangnick has left his role as head of sports and development at Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow to take up the job.

“I am excited to be joining Manchester United and focused on making this a successful season,” said Rangnick.

Following the end of this season, Rangnick will stay on at Old Trafford for an additional two years in a consultancy role.

His first game in charge of United, who are eighth in the Premier League, could be against Arsenal on 2 December if his work permit application is received in time.

If not, temporary manager Michael Carrick will remain in charge of the side.

“The squad is full of talent and has a great balance of youth and experience,” added Rangnick.

“All my efforts for the next six months will be on helping these players fulfil their potential, both individually and, most importantly, as a team.

“Beyond that, I look forward to supporting the club’s longer-term goals on a consultancy basis.”

Rangnick has built an impressive coaching reputation during his time in Germany, with both Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel speaking highly about their compatriot.

He set Ulm on course to promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time before spells in charge of Stuttgart, Hannover, Hoffenheim, Schalke and RB Leipzig.

He won the German Cup with Schalke in 2011 and took RB Leipzig to the final in 2019.

During the 2010-11 season, he led Schalke to the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they lost 6-1 on aggregate to United, who were then beaten by Barcelona in the final.

“Ralf is one of the most respected coaches and innovators in European football,” said United’s football director John Murtough.

“He was our number one candidate for interim manager, reflecting the invaluable leadership and technical skills he will bring from almost four decades of experience in management and coaching.

“Everyone at the club is looking forward to working with him during the season ahead, and then for a further two years in his advisory role.”

Carrick has been in charge for two games since Solskjaer’s departure and has overseen a win over Villarreal that ensured United would finish top of their Champions League group.

He was also in the dugout for the 1-1 draw with Premier League leaders Chelsea on Sunday.

Carrick, along with all the current coaching team, will remain at the club, while Rangnick will bring a limited number of his own staff.

The 63-year-old holds the position of head of sports and development at Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow after spending time at RB Leipzig.

The Athletic website reports that United still have to agree a deal with Lokomotiv for him to leave his current role but he is expected to join the club as manager until the end of the season and will then stay on in a consultancy position.

He is not expected to take over in time for United’s game against Chelsea this weekend as he waits for a work permit.

United are believed to be keen on Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who becomes available at the end of the current season. Rangnick has been manager of Leipzig on two short occasions, as well as being the director of football for the club as well as Austrian sister outfit Red Bull Salzburg.

Rangnick is one of the architects of the modern style of football where clubs press from the front, something which has influenced compatriots such as Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann, Ralph Hasenhuttl and others.

While United are likely out of the running to win this year’s Premier League they are still in contention for the current Champion League.