Ralf Rangnick’s appointment as manager of Manchester United is now confirmed, but it’s still not clear whether he’ll take charge of the Arsenal game.

David Ornstein reported for The Athletic on Monday morning that Ralf Rangnick’s appointment with Manchester United was expected to be confirmed in the next 24 hours, and the club themselves have now done so.

Yet the United interim manager may still miss the Arsenal game, with the club confirming Michael Carrick is still in charge for now.

United are working on Rangnick’s visa, and they might not complete it in time for Thursday’s match. It’s possible he’ll instead have to wait for Crystal Palace’s trip to Old Trafford on December 5th.

The Athletic aren’t the first to report visa timing problems, with the Mirror suggesting Rangnick was a doubt for the Arsenal match even before the Chelsea game at the weekend.

With the game now just three days away, the reality is that it’s not going to make a huge amount of difference whether Rangnick is in charge or not.

At most, he’s going to get a couple of days on the training ground, and even that seems unlikely now.

But there’s obviously a psychological impact when a new manager is in the dugout, both for the visiting team and for the side trying to impress their new boss.

Arsenal have already played against one new manager this week, with Eddie Howe taking charge of his first game with Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium.

It would be nice to save Manchester United’s new manager bounce for another club.

Either way, Mikel Arteta needs to take advantage of the current uncertainty to make sure his side are better prepared for Thursday.