Peter Schmeichel identifies ideal manager for Manchester United

The future of Ten Hag as Manchester United's manager is expected to be evaluated during the upcoming international break due to the team's disappointing performance at the start of the season.

The Red Devils scored a late winner to beat Fulham on the opening-day but have won just one of their six league games since then to slip to 14th in the table.

That run – which represents Manchester United’s worst ever start to a Premier League season – included 3-0 defeats at home to Liverpool and Tottenham.

Given United also struggled last season despite lifting the FA Cup trophy, the Old Trafford owners will surely be losing patience with Ten Hag, who arrived at the club in the summer of 2022 from Ajax.

But Schmeichel, arguably the club’s greatest ever goalkeeper, sees ‘no point’ in sacking Ten Hag and wants the Dutchman to be given more time to turn the team’s fortunes around.

That being said, Schmeichel also revealed his admiration for potential Manchester United target Tuchel and said he ‘fits the bill’ as an Old Trafford manager.

United held talks with Tuchel about replacing Ten Hag over the summer and the German, who won the Champions League with Chelsea, is still said to be ‘open’ to taking over.

‘With the last two jobs Thomas Tuchel had, at Chelsea and at Bayern Munich, he was at those two clubs at the wrong time,’ Schmeichel said on the Seaman Says podcast with Betway.

‘Chelsea was a mess when he was there with the new owners coming in. At Bayern it was similar because they changed the whole leadership of the club.

‘I like Thomas Tuchel, I really I like him. Being around the Champions League, talking to him and interviewing him, listening to him talk to his players in the technical area, he just looks like someone who would be a good manager for Manchester United.

‘I don’t think he got his way at Chelsea and I know for sure he didn’t get his way at Bayern Munich. I just think he’s got such a great aura around him that he fits the bill for United.

‘But, Erik ten Hag is still the manager and I will support him because I want the club to do well. I don’t want United to be the club that changes the manager all the time.

‘I hope they stick with Erik because we need consistency now. Let him have a fair go at this.

‘He’s been hampered by a lot of things over the last two years, now he’s got his own players, let him show us what the plan is and what he can do with the football club. If that doesn’t work then maybe then we talk about a change.’

Asked if he was confident Ten Hag was capable of delivering success for Manchester United, Schmeichel added: ‘I don’t know to be completely honest. I really, really don’t know.

‘I don’t think the owners think he is the one because we saw they were speaking to other managers in the summer and even recently there has been linked with Thomas Tuchel.

‘I don’t know. If they decide to change the manager then fair enough, but I just don’t see the point in doing that right now.’

Schmeichel also called for patience in regards to the Manchester United owners, with British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe taking control of football operations earlier this year.

‘There’s a lot of things happening at the club at the moment so it’s difficult to judge precisely where the team is,’ the 60-year-old said.

‘Will we get back? How long until we get back? When is that going to happen? I think we need a bit of patience to see how the new guys that have come in are going to impact the club.

‘It’s difficult to have a massive impact in such a short space of time. It’s been like this since Sir Alex [Ferguson] left so it’s a long, long period they have to correct.

‘I’m all for giving them time but as we speak we’re 14th in the table so it’s not good enough.’

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