London, December 31 (BUS) – Ralph Rangnick was delighted with the reaction and improved body language shown by Manchester United’s players when they beat Burnley days after their modest draw with Newcastle.
The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane in the summer has raised expectations around Old Trafford, but this season has been upsetting, leading to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s exit last month, the German news agency dpa said.
Progress has been slow under interim successor Rangnick, thanks in large part to the impact of Covid-19, and United looked far from their pace in Monday’s 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Newcastle.
Former Red Devils captain Gary Neville said the players were “a bunch of big bags” at St James’ Park but Rangnick felt his players showed a more positive mentality in Thursday’s 3-1 win over Burnley.
United moved up sixth by winning their last Premier League game of 2021, and Scott McTominay was the star of the show at Old Trafford.
The Scottish midfielder scored well from the edge of the penalty area, and after Sancho’s shot from Ben Mei, he saw a shot on the post that allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to add the third goal.
Burnley have been dealing with a number of key absentees through injury and Covid-19, but Sean Dycke didn’t use that as an excuse after a game in which Aaron Lennon scored a consolation.
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