Ralf Rangnick will not take up Manchester United consultancy role

German unable to carry out duties after taking over as Austria manager

Ralf Rangnick's Manchester United reign started on December 5, 2021, with a 1-0 Premier League victory against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. Reuters

Next up was the Champions League and United were held 1-1 by Young Boys at Old Trafford on December 8, 2021. AFP

A Premier League trip to Norwich City and a 1-0 United victory on December 11. AFP

Newcastle were struggling at the time, so United missed their chance when held to a 1-1 draw on December 27. AFP

Interim coach Ralf Rangnick is all smiles as he sees out 2021 with a 3-1 home win against Burnley on December 30. AFP

January did not start well as Wolves go to Old Trafford and snatch a 1-0 win on January 3, 2022. AFP

Back to winning ways with a 1-0 triumph against Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on January 10. AFP

Villa again, this time away and in the Premier League, and it's a 2-2 draw on January 15. AFP

A 3-1 win at Brentford in the Premier League on January 19. AFP

Another win in the Premier League, this time 1-0 against West Ham at Old Trafford on January 22. AFP

A big setback for Rangnick and United as they go out to Middlesbrough on penalties in the FA Cup fourth round at Old Trafford on February 4. AFP

Two more dropped points in the Premier League a United are held 1-1 by Burnley at Turf Moor on February 8. AFP

United are held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton at Old Trafford on February 12. AFP

A welcome win for Rangnick as United beat Brighton 2-0 at Old Trafford on February 15. AFP

A 4-2 Premier League win at Leeds on February 20. AFP

Next up was the Champions League again, and a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano on February 23. AFP

United's first meeting with Watford ended in a 4-1 defeat and the departure of Solskjaer. The second was also disappointing, a 0-0 at Old Trafford on February 26. AFP

A bad day for Manchester United and Ralf Rangnick as they are hammered 4-1 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on March 6. AFP

Back on track the following weekend with a 3-2 win against Tottenham on March 12. AFP

The second leg against Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford on March 15, and a crushing 1-0 defeat and exit. AFP

United's next game was against Leicester in the Premier League on April 2, and a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. AFP

Losing to Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park on April 9 was another big setback in the season. AFP

Norwich City's Premier League visit to Old Trafford on April 16 saw a 3-2 win for United. AFP

Another bad day, this time a 4-0 defeat at Liverpool on April 19. AFP

Another defeat, with United losing 3-1 at Arsenal on April 23. AFP

Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo battles with Chelsea defender Reece James during the 1-1 Premier League draw on April 28. AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo battles for possession with Christian Norgaard of Brentford during United's 3-0 Premier League win at Old Trafford on May 2. Getty

Brighton's Dutch defender Joel Veltman clears the ball during United's 4-0 thrashing at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton on May 7. AFP

Ralf Rangnick's Manchester United stay ended with a 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace on May 22. AP

Manchester United have announced that Ralf Rangnick will not take up a consultancy role with the club due to the demands he is set to face as the new manager of Austria.

The German took charge of United on an interim basis for the last six months of the season after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked last November and oversaw a sixth-placed Premier League finish. However, the club grew impatient and brought in Erik ten Hag as the new manager after a trophyless season.

Rangnick was expected to remain at Old Trafford for the next two years in a consultancy position. However, he was appointed as the new Austria boss last month and that has apparently made it difficult for him to fulfil both duties.

"We would like to thank Ralf Rangnick for his efforts as interim manager over the past six months," a statement said on United's website.

"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."

Incoming boss Ten Hag had refused to talk about Rangnick's position with the club when asked during his unveiling if he would welcome the 63-year-old's consultancy role next season. "That's on the club," Ten Hag said earlier this week.

Rangnick's Austria kick off their Nations League campaign on June 3 against Croatia before taking on Denmark and France.

Despite their troubles on the field, Manchester United's latest accounts showed a 30 per cent increase in revenue for the three months until March 31 this year.

United, who endured their worst season in the Premier League era, had a total revenue of £152.8 million ($192 million) for the first three months of 2022, up 29.2 per cent from £118.3 million compared to the same period last year.

The club earned an additional £34.1 million in matchday revenue in this period, with the pandemic having limited matchday revenue to £1.6 million in the third quarter of 2021.