Manchester United and Ralf Rangnick, 63, have agreed terms for him to be appointed as interim manager of the Red Devils on a six-month contract.
The 63-year-old German is poised to join United but will not be in charge this weekend against Chelsea while he waits for his work permit.
United have agreed terms with Rangnick, but not with Lokomotiv Moscow, where he is the head of sports and development.
It comes after United sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Sunday following a trophyless three-year spell as boss.
Rangnick won the German Cup with Schalke in 2011 and took RB Leipzig to the final in 2019.
During the 2010-11 season he guided Schalke to the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they lost 6-1 on aggregate to United, who were then beaten by Barcelona in the final.
United are eighth in the Premier League and Solskjaer, who scored the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final for the club, was dismissed following an embarrassing 4-1 loss at Watford on Saturday.
Michael Carrick, Solskjaer’s assistant, was placed in temporary charge, with United saying he would be in place while they looked to appoint an interim manager to the end of the season.
Carrick took charge of United on Tuesday for the 2-0 win at Villarreal, a result that ensured they would finish top of their Champions League group. compare betting sites that accept Venmo
Rangnick: His Philosophy and Tactics
Ralf Rangnick is known as a ‘professor of football’ and has been credited for influencing modern German coaches Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, Ralph Hasenhuttl and Julian Nagelsmann.
The experienced coach played a key role in establishing the gegenpresstactic where a team immediately fights to win the ball back after losing possession rather than dropping deep.
He is also known as one of the pioneers for zonal marking from set-pieces with his sides well known for a high-pressing game as well as a tendency to play on the front foot.
“If you want to increase the speed of your game, you have to develop quicker minds rather than quicker feet,” he said. “At RB Leipzig, we work on increasing the memory space and the processing pace. We put players into the Soccerbot, for example – a machine that simulates previous games and allows players to relive key moments of matches.
“It’s PlayStation football, but with your feet. The players enjoy it so much we have a hard time getting some of them to stop.
“Tactics, fitness and rules are all hugely important, but they’re only a means to an end. My job – the job – is to improve players. Players follow you as a manager if they feel that you make them better. That’s the greatest, most sincere motivation there is.”
