Rangnick Milan rumours dim after Austria extension
Ralf Rangnick will not be heading to AC Milan and instead will remain in the Austria dugout for another two years after penning a new deal with the national side.
Rangnick took over Austria in April 2022, signing a two-year deal at the time after its failure to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
However, under his leadership, he led the team to a Round of 16 exit at UEFA Euro 2024, losing 2-1 to Turkiye, before guiding it to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after which his current deal had been due to expire.
Austria's campaign will kick off against Jordan in Group J on 17 June (AEST). This is its eighth appearance at the tournament, but the first since 1998, when it failed to get out of the group stage.
Its best performance at a FIFA World Cup was in 1954 when it finished third.
Austrian Football Association supervisory board chairman Josef Proll was thrilled to get the new deal over the line before their opening match, saying: "My special thanks go to Ralf Rangnick.
"The fact that he has chosen Austria and his team shows how important this project is to him. It is a true matter of the heart for him."
Rangnick has overseen 46 matches as Austria head coach, winning 28 of those, a 60.9 per cent win rate which is the highest he has managed with any team.
The German had been linked with the vacant AC Milan technical director job and was supposedly its primary candidate to fill that role.
However, reports suggest the chance of a move broke down as he wanted full control over the club’s project, including the decision over the new coach – who could be former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim – and directors.
