Eight Premier League stars signed by incoming Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick during his career

Ralf Rangnick has a great track record for bringing talented players to the clubs he has managed, something that Manchester United will hopefully see when the January transfer window opens.

Throughout his almost 40 year managerial career the 63-year old has worked alongside more than a few familiar faces to fans of English football.

Having managed the likes of RB Leipzig, Schalke 04, VfB Stuttgart and Hoffenheim in his native Germany, the Gegenpress innovator has crossed paths with some notable names.

Here are eight current or former English Premier League stars who the German has previously signed during his managerial career.

1. Roberto Firmino

Rangnick worked miracles at Hoffenheim as he guided them to back-to-back promotions from the German third tier to the Bundesliga between 2007 and 2009.

He resigned from the club in January 2011 but one of his final acts was to bring in a little known Brazillian forward who would go on to become one of the Premier League’s current biggest stars.

£3.6 million was the fee to sign Firmino from Figueirense and it proved a fantastic piece of business with the club developing the player’s talents over a three year period before selling him to Liverpool for £30 million.

2. Demba Ba

The Senegalese striker made his name in England as a prolific goalscorer with Newcastle United and would also turn out for Chelsea and West Ham United during his illustrious career.

However, before his move to England he was yet another future Premier League star who developed during a successful spell with Rangnick’s Hoffenheim.

He spent two and a half years with the German side before his move to the Hammers which was followed shortly after by the switch to St James’ Park in 2011.

3. Christian Fuchs

Another future Premier League winner who worked under Rangnick, Fuchs was signed during the coaches second spell in charge of Schalke 04.

He may have only spent around six months at Die Königsblauen the second time around but did unearth a gem from the German lower divisions in the future Leicester City favourite.

He was part of the Schalke side who won the DFL-Supercup in 2011, his first major trophy as a player but obviously not his last.

4. Teemu Pukki

The Flying Fin never really took off until later in his career but did have a brief bright spell at Schalke during the same time as Fuchs.

After failing to make the cut with Sevilla, Pukki returned to his native Finland before earning a move back to one of Europe’s elite leagues with the German side in 2011.

Regular game time was inconsistent after Rangnick left and the striker’s career stalled after a failed move to Celtic.

However, it was an eventual transfer to England with Norwich City (after a good goal-scoring spell in Norway) which saw him hit the heights as a prolific goalscorer in both the Championship and Premier League.

5. Emile Smith Rowe

Although injury issues would prevent the Arsenal star from making any substantial impact during his time on loan at RB Leipzig, it was clear that Rangnick saw something in Smith Rowe.

It now looks like he may well have been right to see the talent in the attacking midfielder who won his first England cap this year and has established himself as a regular in the Arsenal first team.

It’s maybe a shame that he didn’t get to spend more time working under the German, who we know has a good track record for developing players, but his career is now really beginning to take off never the less.

6. Per Mertesacker

From the possible future of Arsenal Football Club to an icon of the past in the towering German centre back

Mertesacker, still with the Gunners as their academy manager, won six trophies during his seven years in London not to mention a World Cup with Germany.

Before all that though and before even establishing himself as a top level talent with Werder Bremen, he was brought through at Hannover 96 by Rangnick.

Yet again, the coach demonstrating a fantastic talent for developing future stars of the club and international game.

7. Aleksandr Hleb

Another blast from the past for Arsenal fans, the best Belarusian to ever play the game also worked under Rangnick.

It’s maybe not surprising considering just how many clubs Hleb turned out for during his career but the two did cross paths at Stuttgart.

Once again, Rangnick brought in and worked with a promising young talent the club had unearthed from Bate Borisov before going on to star for the Gunners, Barcelona and even Birmingham City.

8. Lewis Holtby

Holtby might not have left a lasting impression on the Premier League, or the Championship with Blackburn Rovers, but the three times capped German international was far more consistent in his homeland.

The midfielder worked under Ragnick during the coaches brief spell at Schalke and impressed enough to earn his move to Tottenham in 2013.

Although her perhaps didn’t reach his full potential, Holtby has had a decent career with several teams in his native Germany.