Peter Schmeichel says Thomas Tuchel ‘projects an authority’ and has the ‘kind of pedigree’ to manage Manchester United if the club were to sack Erik ten Hag at the end of the season.
Ten Hag finds himself under intense pressure at Old Trafford and United’s 1-1 draw at home to Premier League strugglers Burnley did little to help the Dutchman’s cause, a result which leaves the Red Devils 13 points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa in the table.
It appears Ten Hag’s future could hinge on United’s FA Cup final clash against holders Manchester City but some reports indicate that the writing is on the wall for the 54-year-old regardless of the result at Wembley next month.
The likes of Zinedine Zidane, Ruben Amorim, Gareth Southgate and Roberto De Zerbi have all been tentatively linked with the job in recent weeks, with Ten Hag yet to receive a public vote of confidence from new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Tuchel, who steps down at Bayern Munich this summer, has also been mooted as a potential successor for Ten Hag and the German is now the bookmakers’ favourite to take over the reins should United pull the trigger on their current head coach.
Rumours emanating out of Germany last week suggested United had even made contact with Tuchel over the prospect of returning to the Premier League, just two years on from his dismissal at Chelsea.
‘I like Thomas Tuchel. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing him a couple of times and his football knowledge is fantastic,’ legendary ex-United goalkeeper Schmeichel told beIN SPORTS amid the speculation.
‘He’s been a little bit unlucky with being at two big football clubs at the wrong time of their history, at times where things weren’t working on every level.
‘It’s not that he didn’t do well Chelsea, for instance. I mean, he won the Champions League didn’t he?!
‘I just like him, there’s something about him. He projects an authority.
‘Never compare people but he’s got the same kind of thing that [Jurgen] Klopp has. You know he’s the boss and you know what he’s doing.’
Asked whether Tuchel is the sort of character who would fit in at United, Schmeichel replied: ‘I’m not going to go there! There’s no way. I know it’s speculative… no, I’m not!
Pressed for an answer by beIN SPORTS host Richard Keys, the Dane responded: ‘If Manchester United were in the market for a manager then he should be somebody mentioned in that respect. He should be.
‘He has that kind of pedigree, he’s got the authority, he’s proven he can win which I think is really important.
‘He doesn’t come with a set system, “This is how our football is being played”… yeah, of course, he’s a big-club manager, isn’t he?
According to Schmeichel, Tuchel falls into a similar ‘category of manager’ to Klopp, who steps down at Liverpool after nine trophy-laden years on Merseyside in the summer.
‘Klopp would be fantastic for Man United as well,’ Schmeichel continued.
‘I’m not saying that he [Klopp] should be manager!
‘I’m just saying that’s the category of manager that Manchester United should have were they to be in the market for a manager.’
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