Why is Ralf Rangnick riding an e-bike on the pitch?

Former Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig and Manchester United boss Rangnick was first seen riding his e-bike before the match, when he rode across the turf to conduct a pre-match interview with Austrian broadcaster ORF.

He then clambered onto his bike again as the half-time whistle blew, riding past his team-mates to the other corner of the pitch before disappearing down the tunnel.

When he first became Leipzig coach in 2015, Rangnick famously used a countdown clock in training that allowed players eight seconds to win the ball back and 10 seconds to score a goal.

He also brought in sleep experts, as well as an innovative machine that simulated previous games and helped players improve their cognitive ability.

So was this another of his revolutionary methods of maintaining fitness levels? Well, not quite.

As he later explained, Rangnick is still recovering from a serious ankle issue which has required multiple operations in recent months. Although the initial surgery was successful, Rangnick developed an infection and was subsequently readmitted to hospital.

He is now able to walk again, but he is trying to do so as little possible to accelerate his recovery.

“It could be better, but I’m taking small steps and things are looking up,” said Rangnick, who has also been using a golf cart to get around on the training pitch. “Unfortunately, my ankle is still not in great shape. I’ve known for a few days that the distances here [at the stadium] are long. It couldn’t be much further.”

Rangnick, who is credited with developing the Gegenpressing system that was later adopted by the likes of Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, has led Austria to four wins out of four in World Cup qualifying Group H.

He has won 21 of his 37 games in charge, and reached the last 16 of UEFA EURO 2024 last summer after topping a group featuring France, the Netherlands and Poland.