1:36 p.m. ET
Rob Dawson correspondent
Ralf Rangnick said it made “no sense” for Manchester United fans to criticize Paul Pogba after the midfielder was booed at Old Trafford.
Rangnick’s decision to come on as a substitute for Pogba in the second half of Saturday’s 3-2 win over Norwich was initially greeted with cheers from fans before turning to boos on the exit. There were chants of “f— off Pogba”.
– Dawson: Protests show Man Utd can’t rebuild until Glazers leave
– ESPN+ Viewer Guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more
The 29-year-old received another hostile reception at the final whistle when he seemed to put his ear towards the Stretford End.
“I honestly haven’t heard it myself, we spoke to my staff in the locker room about it,” Rangnick said when asked about the fans’ reaction to Pogba.
“I think the fans here are great, really. The support in the stadium was great today, it couldn’t have been better.
“I can understand if the fans are frustrated and disappointed, so are we. I don’t think it makes sense to take over and attack a single person or player. It’s a collective responsibility. For me it doesn’t make sense and that’s why I will always defend and protect my players.
“By the way, I think Paul did well in possession in the first half.”
Thousands of United fans marched before the game in protest against the club’s owners, before players were targeted as Norwich fell 2-0 to 2-2, and chants of ‘You’re not fit to tie the shirt carry” came down from the terraces.
Rangnick was also asked about the video circulating on social media in his post-match press conference of Pogba, who is out of contract in the summer and holding his ear as he walks through the tunnel full-time.
“I didn’t see it, I heard it,” he added. “It was probably his reaction to the chants from the fans. As I said, I can understand the fans and supporters to some extent, but it doesn’t make sense to compete against individual players.”
Referring to the pre-match fan protests, a United spokesman released a statement which read: “We are working hard to create the conditions for renewed success on the pitch while strengthening our commitment to the fans.
“We respect fans’ right to peacefully express their opinions and we will continue to listen to them with the aim of working together to bring the club back to where we all want them to be: fighting for trophies.”
As for the game itself, United owed Cristiano Ronaldo a narrow win over bottom side Norwich after the 37-year-old scored his 50th hat-trick of his career.
The result means Rangnick’s side are three points closer to the top four after losses to Tottenham and Arsenal, but the caretaker manager wasn’t optimistic about his chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League with trips to Liverpool and Arsenal next week concerns.
“Everyone saw today’s game, we all know which team we’re playing against on Tuesday,” said Rangnick.
“They might have a chance to win four trophies. If we play the way we played today it will be very, very difficult to get even a point from this game; we have to be realistic about that.”
“We have to raise our own level and standard. We have to be realistic, we have to play a lot better when Liverpool have the ball than we did today.”