Ralf's press conference: Part two - every word

The 63-year-old, who will be succeed by incoming manager Erik ten Hag this summer, will take charge of the side for one last time on Sunday, as we look to secure qualification for the UEFA Europa League with victory at Selhurst Park. 

Ralf spoke candidly on incoming boss ten Hag, as well as his decision to include some of our youngsters in his matchday squads this season, following on from the Under 18s' recent success in the FA Youth Cup. 

You can read every word the German had to say in the second part of his press conference below...

What would you say Erik’s starting point should be?
"I think he is experienced enough to know that himself, it is not about advising him about what he should do in training weeks or pre-season. Unfortunately I never had a pre-season with this team as I came in December, then we had the Covid issues and not even in those two weeks could we fly anywhere when we had no games for two weeks because there would have been too many players not allowed to fly to Spain or Portugal or Dubai. The good thing is that he can work from day one and from the beginning of the season. We also have to be realistic that the exception or rule when the manager comes at the beginning of the season and 70% of changes of managers come in the middle of the season. But right now in the German Bundesliga there is almost an earthquake as I read that Marco Rose has been sacked by Borussia Dortmund and that he is the sixth coach in the last seven days that will be replaced for the new season. For Erik, the good thing is that he will come for the beginning of the season and he will have some influence on selecting the right players as well as with the board and the scouting department. As I said earlier on, if there is a good thing to come out of this poor season it's that it’s pretty obvious in which areas that we need to make improvements happen."

Is it fair to say that when you talk to Erik Ten Hag, that you will be straight and brutal in your view?
"I can answer the questions that he has. I don't need to be brutal, but obviously I made this experience what it is and it was still an experience I wouldn't want to miss. As a manager you always want to win more games than you lose and in my last two tenures with Leipzig we always had an average of two points per game. We finished third and second in the league in those two periods and here unfortunately, although we were on a positive pathway in the last two months, we couldn't keep that up permanently and that's why I am absolutely disappointed. I think we could have all done better, including myself, and we have to be as self critical as we can be. Now it's about taking and drawing the right conclusions about what happened and make sure the club develops in those areas where they should be and where the fans and supporters expect Manchester United should be."

You have brought a lot of youngsters across this season. Do you think some of those are ready or do they need further development elsewhere next season?
"Not all of them. But there may be one or two, or even three, where it makes sense to have them in pre-season so that they can show to Erik if they are ready to play. On the other hand, for an 18/19-year-old to be here and not play or get enough game time, it may also make sense for them to go out on loan like Garner [James] did at Nottingham Forest or like quite a few other players did with other clubs. This could also be an option and whilst there are quite a few players, Hannibal and of course Garnacho [Alejandro] have already had their debuts, it is also about game time and they need to play on the highest possible level regularly. It is not only about training on the highest level like they do here but also they need to play at that level too."