Paul Scholes said he’s “baffled” that Manchester United appointed Ralf Rangnick as their interim manager following Sunday’s 4-1 defeat away at Manchester City.Rangnick’s side were outclassed and outfought at the Etihad Stadium.Jadon Sancho equalised in for the visitors in the first half but a brace apiece from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez earned City a deserved three points.During one 15-minute period in the second half, City registered an astonishing 92% possession.

United couldn’t get close to Pep Guardiola’s men after half-time and whoever takes over from Rangnick this summer clearly has a huge job on their hands.

Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag remain the frontrunners to become Man Utd’s new permanent manager at the end of the season.

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 30: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Erik Ten Hag, Manager of Ajax embrace prior to the UEFA Champions League Semi Final first leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax at at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 30, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Scholes 'baffled' Man Utd hired Rangnick

Scholes watched the game for Premier League Productions alongside his former United teammate Michael Owen and Man City hero Yaya Toure.

In his post-match analysis, Scholes criticised United’s decision to appoint Rangnick as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s temporary replacement back in November.

"What do we expect? We've brought in an interim coach who hasn't coached at an elite team," Scholes said.

"He hasn't coached a big team, he hasn't coached at a big football club like United where there's so much expected of Manchester United. Whoever you're playing against, it doesn't matter.

(Credit: Premier League Productions)

"He's never been at a top club. He's coached a club for two years out of the last 10 years.

"How have United behind the scenes come to the conclusion that this man is going to be the right man for six or seven months? It baffles me.

"The players are lost on the football pitch.

“The first 20 minutes I was surprised they played really well, they were comfortable on the ball, [Paul] Pogba up front looked alright.

"His subs have worked the last few weeks don't get me wrong but it was a deflated team.

"As much as you can have a go at United today, they're playing against possibly one of the best teams we've seen."

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Scholes continued: “In the second half, the players looked lost. They looked like they didn’t have a clue what they were doing.”

(Credit: Premier League Productions)

The legendary midfielder added: "They're lucky it's not five or six. Again the goalkeeper, five or six saves.

"You spoke before the game saying defensively since Ole's gone he's sured things up - he hadn't. Never in a million years. He's kidding himself if he thinks that.

"The keeper has stopped him from getting batterings for a long time. Today was exactly the same."

Watch Scholes’ rant in full here:

Gary Neville: Rangnick will not be United's next permanent manager

Rangnick is expected to move into a consultancy role at Old Trafford at the end of the season.

There has been speculation that the German coach might still be in charge of the team at the start of the 2022-23 campaign, although Gary Neville insisted on Sky Sports that United will have a new coach in the dugout.

“I can absolutely, categorically tell you Ralf Rangnick will not be the manager next season,” Neville said, per the Daily Mail. “Not because he's doing a bad job - he's just not being the manager next season.”

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 06: Ralf Rangnick, Manager of Manchester United looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Etihad Stadium on March 06, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

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