Manchester, Nov 29 (IANS): English Premier League club Manchester United on Monday announced the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as the interim manager until the end of the season.

Manchester United said in a statement that Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager and the club have agreed that he will continue in a consultancy role.

The 63-year-old's contract will see him take charge of the first team until June and then remain at the club for at least a further two years in a consultancy role. United reached an agreement with Lokomotiv Moscow last week for the release of Rangnick, who was manager of sports and development at the Russian club.

He will take the charge from Michael Carrick, who was in the temporary job of the team for last week's 2-0 Champions League win over Villarreal and Sunday's 1-1 draw at Chelsea in the Premier League following the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Ralf Rangnick in a statement said, "I am excited to be joining Manchester United and focused on making this a successful season for the club."

"The squad is full of talent and has a great balance of youth and experience. All my efforts for the next six months will be on helping these players fulfil their potential, both individually and, most importantly, as a team. Beyond that, I look forward to supporting the club's longer-term goals on a consultancy basis," he said.

John Murtough, Manchester United football director confirmed the development.

"Ralf is one of the most respected coaches and innovators in European football. He was our number one candidate for an interim manager, reflecting the invaluable leadership and technical skills he will bring from almost four decades of experience in management and coaching. Everyone at the club is looking forward to working with him during the season ahead, and then for a further two years in his advisory role," he said.

Following the humiliating defeat against Watford, Manchester United had sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager of the Premier League club, ending a three-year association with him.

Under Solskjaer, United were unable to put up a good performance despite the presence of a player like Cristiano Ronaldo as it slumped to big defeats against archrivals Liverpool, Manchester City, and now Watford in the last few weeks. The 48-year-old Solskjaer had a very successful playing career at Old Trafford, excelling in the role of 'Super Sub' for coming in as a replacement and scoring crucial goals on many occasions during the times of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Currently, Michael Carrick, another former United player who assisted Solskjaer for the last three years, will remain in charge of the first team until Ralf's work visa is finalized.