Peter Schmeichel gives verdict on whether Ruben Amorim has mentality to succeed with Man Utd
The Dane has been speaking about the Manchester United coach ahead of his Old Trafford return.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim must be given time to build "his own team" but has the right mentality to succeed in the Old Trafford pressure cooker, according to Red Devils great Peter Schmeichel.
It has been a rocky start to life in the North West for Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag in November and has yet to truly turn the tide at the club.
Man Utd sit 14th and are on course for their worst Premier League season ever but the Europa League offers them a chance to salvage their season.
Winning Europe's second-string club competition would mean Amorim's side are playing Champions League football next term and have a huge impact on the transfer business he can do in his first summer transfer window.
Man Utd travel to the Basque Country for the first leg of their Europa League semi-final against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday and then host the Spanish club for the decider the following week.
Speaking exclusively to Radio Times ahead of his return to Old Trafford as part of the World XI management team at Soccer Aid 2025, Schmeichel threw his support behind Amorim but suggested a full verdict on the 40-year-old would have to wait until after he had properly shaped the squad.
He said: “I think I've seen glimpses of what can be and how it's going to look when he gets his own team built.
“I like him. I think he comes across as a strong communicator, a strong personality. He's someone who doesn't duck out of anything.
“It is really important for a Man Utd manager to show that kind of mental strength, that he’s on top of things, he knows how difficult this is, but you're not going to wear him down by asking hard questions and he’s going to face everybody.
“He’s got his ideas. Are they going to be the right ones for Man Utd? I think we need to wait until he's got his own team going. You know, winning just changes everybody's opinion, so he needs to start winning.
“Of course, not expecting that to be now, but very, very soon. If we win the Europa League, obviously, it's all going to look a bit different in the summer.”
Schmeichel won five Premier League titles, three FA Cups, the League Cup and the Champions League during a decorated eight-year spell at Old Trafford as he established himself as one of the greatest goalkeepers in top-flight history.
"You need to be mentally strong to play for a club like Man Utd," the Dane added when quizzed on his former club's current struggles.
“I'm trying to explain this to people all the time. What is it? Why is it so different to play for Man United not Tottenham? Because they are in similar situations.
“The thing is, when you play for Man United, your game has been reported on everywhere. There isn't a single news outlet, newspaper, in the whole world that doesn't carry at least a result and sometimes an article or a report on the game, and it stays. It goes on for days and days until the next game.
“If you play for Tottenham, yeah, if something's happened, the game might be reported the next day, but the day after that, you don't talk about it anymore.
“That's a big difference, and there's only a couple of clubs in the world where it's like that, Liverpool, Man United, and, to a certain degree, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Then I'm struggling to find other clubs that live in that space."
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Soccer Aid 2025 takes place on Sunday 15th June 2025, with tickets available for the clash at Old Trafford.
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