'He should be mentioned' - Peter Schmeichel sends Erik ten Hag replacement message to Man United

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel believes Thomas Tuchel should be in the conversation to become the club's next manager - should a change be required.

The German, who will leave Bayern Munich at the end of this season, is being increasingly linked with the prospect of replacing Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. The United boss is under increasing pressure following Saturday's 1-1 draw with Burnley.

As a result of the stalemate with the Clarets, United have won just two of their last nine league matches, leaving them 13 points shy of the top four with just 12 points left to play for. The best the club can now hope for is Europa League qualification.

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Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, United have regressed at an alarming rate, with winning the FA Cup their only hope of salvaging what is left of the campaign. Failure to beat Manchester City in next month's final could spell the end for Ten Hag, although the United hierarchy are understood not to have made a firm decision on his future.

Tuchel is being heavily linked with the possibility of replacing Ten Hag, and Schmeichel believes he should be under consideration if the role becomes vacant.

The Dane told beIN Sports: "If Manchester United were in the market for a manager, he should be somebody mentioned in that respect. He should be.

"He has got that kind of pedigree. He has got the authority, he has proven he can win, which I think is really important. He does come with a set system of this is how football is being played. Yes, of course, he is a big club manager."

Despite initially being hesitant to speculate on the prospect of United entering the search for a new manager this summer, Schmeichel added on Tuchel: "I like him. I have had the pleasure of interviewing him a couple of times and his football knowledge is fantastic.

"I think he has been a little bit unlucky being at two big football clubs at the wrong time in their history, at times where things were not working on every level. It's not that he didn't do well with Chelsea, for instance. He won the Champions League.

"I just like him, there is something about him. He projects an authority. You can never compare people, but he has got the same kind of thing as [Jurgen] Klopp has; you know he is about and you know what he is doing."