Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel has urged his former club to sign West Ham star Dimitri Payet. The ex-United keeper also branded the Frenchman an ideal “Manchester United-type player.”
“He's a Manchester United-type player, for sure,” the United legend told Soccer AM. “I think Mourinho has to change his way a little bit to please the fans, the club and the traditions of the club. I think he is showing signs of that, the players that he is signing, they are of a different calibre.”
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic is someone he probably wouldn't have signed had he been at Chelsea, but he's United's kind of player, the kind the supporters like to see. He's rewarding us with great skills and great goals – I think he has scored seven goals so far. But Payet? Definitely if he can find the form he showed during the Euros,” he added.
Lack of cutting edge
Although United have created an enormous amount of chances, they have struggled to find the back of the net in the Premier League, scoring just 19 goals so far – lower than any other team in the top 8, including the likes of West Bromwich Albion and Watford.
Also read: Dimitri Payet on Arsene Wenger's radar
As a result of a failure to convert gilt-edged chances during games, the Red Devils now find themselves languishing in sixth in the table, six behind Sunday’s fifth-placed opponents Tottenham Hotspur. United’s struggles have been surprising, especially considering the amount of money they splashed in the summer and the quality of the players brought in.
Jose Mourinho has come under some intense criticism of late, and has taken a majority of the flak for United’s failures this season. His touchline antics, constant bashing of referees and his own players in press conferences has not been met favourably by members of the clubs’ board according to reports, and it has led to many pundits and journalists questioning whether the 53-year-old Portuguese boss was the right man for the job.
Stick with Jose, insists Schmeichel
Schmeichel though, insisted that United have to stick with Mourinho for the next few years and admits that the club cannot afford to keep changing managers and expecting immediate success.
“Right or wrong, it doesn't matter and we need to stick with him and let him do his job for the next couple of years and see where he can take Man United,” he said.
“We cannot keep changing our managers. For 27 years we had the same guy, and if you go back to the 50s it was the same with Matt Busby. History tells you that if you keep changing, it's not going to happen. We need someone to stay there for a long time,” Schmeichel concluded.
