Ralf Rangnick says Manchester United have a “higher ratio” of double vaccinated players than the Premier League average, and the club would hesitate before signing any player not vaccinated against Covid.
United’s past two games – against Brentford and Brighton – were postponed after an outbreak of the virus among Rangnick’s squad that left only eight outfield players available. But with 25 players now in training before Monday’s trip to Newcastle, the German claimed that United’s number of double vaccinated footballers is among the highest in the division.
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“I don’t know which of our players have had two or three [the booster] vaccinations. This is a question that only our medical department could answer but I know from our medical department that our ratio of vaccinated players is above the average of the Premier League,” said Rangnick.
“As far as I know we have a high record of vaccination of players in our club, but still in the last two weeks we have been shown that even if you are vaccinated two or three times, you can still catch the virus, especially the new virus. So you are not being protected [fully] but at least you are being protected from severe symptoms – most of our players who tested positive at least had very weak symptoms and didn’t suffer.”
Being double vaccinated is a consideration for United when considering any potential new signings and Rangnick understands the stance of his Liverpool counterpart, Jürgen Klopp. Klopp said it would be “influential, definitely” for his club, saying any unvaccinated footballer would be a “constant threat for all of us”.
“Yes, it could be a consideration and I fully understand what Jürgen said,” Rangnick said. “But it also depends if you want to sign a player and risk him not being available. This is an issue the clubs seriously have to think about. If you sign a player knowing from the very first day that he has not been vaccinated, you have to be aware that he might not be available – not only for 10 days, but this could happen regularly in Covid times.”
Rangnick confirmed Anthony Martial has spoken to him about leaving United. “He explained to me he’s been at Manchester United for the last seven years and he feels it’s the right time for a change,” he said. “I could follow his thoughts but it’s also important to see the situation of the club. As far as I know, there has been no offer from any other club and as long as this is the case he will stay.”
