Manchester United head coach Ralf Rangnick has brought in a sports psychologist to help the team. One of the main points that the German has noted during his time at the club is the lack of mental fortitude in the players.
This has resulted in them slipping from dominant positions in games and dropping points. Rangnick believes that the appointment of the psychologist will help tackle the poor run of form for the club, with the issue likely to be a mental one more than a physical one.
Manchester United have a new sports psychologist – Sascha Lense
Sascha Lense has worked with Ralf Rangnick before at RB Leipzig, and has been entrusted with reviving the mentality of the players. The second-half performance from Manchester United has been particularly disappointing, since they often start out games on the right foot. But, are unable to see this through.
“In 11 of the 13 games since I arrived, we have scored the first goal but we’ve only won half of the matches,” Rangnick detailed during his pre-match press conference.
“When you are 1-0 in three consecutive games and concede an equaliser, this affects the mindset of the players.
“If we concede early in the second half, it affects the confidence of the players, they are human beings, not robots, I spoke to Sascha and we speak regularly about that, the only thing we can do is speak to the players, one by one, to the group and the whole team.”
Despite having endured a poor run of form in the Premier League, Manchester United are still in the race for top four. And if they are able to find their way back into a decent run of results, they can rest easy knowing that they have secured Champions League football next year.