[L-to-R] Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick and Norwich City boss Dean Smith; [inset] Mark Lawrenson.
Five-time English top-flight winner Mark Lawrenson has backed Manchester United to return to winning ways this weekend. The Red Devils host 20th-placed Norwich City at Old Trafford in the Premier League tomorrow (April 16).
Lawrenson believes Ralf Rangnick’s side will pick up a 2-0 win. However, he also reserved some praise for the Canaries, who beat Burnley by the same scoreline last time out.
He wrote in his column for the BBC:
“Norwich are hanging on in there aren’t they? They have not thrown in the towel yet, and showed it with their win over Burnley last weekend.”
The former Liverpool footballer also spoke about Rangnick’s struggles at Old Trafford:
“There has been plenty of talk that Ajax boss Erik ten Hag is about to become Manchester United’s next manager but, for the time being, Ralf Rangnick is still interim boss and it is not working for them.”
Lawrenson referred to Guus Hiddink’s reign as interim manager of Chelsea back in 2009 to suggest that such provisional appointments could work. However, he believes Manchester United’s dressing room is stopping them from such an achievement, stating:
“That arrangement can work – Guus Hiddink showed that when he had four months with Chelsea and won the FA Cup in 2009 – but the Blues had a strong and united dressing room to help to run the team the right way, which United clearly don’t have.”
The 64-year-old concluded by opining that the Red Devils would pick up a win in their match against Dean Smith’s troops:
“They should still beat Norwich, of course, but too many of their players seem to be thinking ‘does it really matter?’ right now, and that won’t change until the new manager arrives.”
Manchester United and Norwich City desperately need wins
Manchester United will enter their match against Norwich City having won just one of their last seven matches across all competitions. Their wretched run has seen them slip to seventh place in the Premier League, six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. They have also exited the UEFA Champions League.
The Red Devils enter this match after a 1-0 defeat to relegation-threatened Everton at Goodison Park last weekend. They desperately need to start picking up wins, with even a top-six finish looking tricky at the moment.
Norwich, meanwhile, have been in a rut for much of the season, barring the odd win every now and then. While they were impressive against an upbeat Burnley side last weekend, it was just their second win in 11 matches across all competitions.
The Canaries are seven points away from safety with seven matches to play. Even a victory at Old Trafford is unlikely to be enough for them to stay up come the end of the season. Nevertheless, it would be a confidence booster.
