Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has been linked with a move to Manchester United, despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer frequently backing the Spaniard David De Gea publicly.
According to the Sun, De Gea’s forgettable season has caused United boss Solskjaer to take a hard look at his options in goal for next season, with Kasper Schmeichel described as a ‘ready-made replacement’.
Kasper Schmeichel, 33, still has three years left on his deal with The Foxes, but should the Red Devils come calling, it’s difficult to envisage him turning down a move especially given his father’s legendary status at the club.
Move For Kasper Schmeichel: Makes Sense?
Kasper Schmeichel is a top-quality Premier League player who played an instrumental role for Leicester in their fairytale Premier League title win in 2015-16.
There are plenty of positive aspects to his game. Like his father, Schmeichel has blazing instincts and makes himself enormous in one-on-one situations. During his tenure at Leicester, he has also grown as a leader and that is apparent in the way he conducts himself in games.
United’s on-loan star in the making, Dean Henderson, is all set to return to Old Trafford after a successful loan spell at Sheffield United and fight for a first-team spot. But his lack of experience at the highest level and the magnanimous importance of the position along with the past exploits of De Gea has not allowed the team management to take the brave call to promote him as the club no.1.
And if the lack of experience continues to be an issue despite another fine showing for the Blades, Schmeichel would seem to be a more suitable and logical option should United seek an immediate short-term De Gea replacement.
The 33-year-old represented his country, Denmark, at the 2018 World Cup and has played 53 international games for them.
Since joining from Leeds United back in 2011, Kasper Schmeichel has appeared 378 times in all competitions for the Foxes and enjoyed yet another starring season as a goalkeeper at the King Power Stadium. His 13 clean sheets helped Leicester to their second-highest Premier League finish. A penurious run of form toward the end of the season, after the restart, saw Brendan Rodgers’ side narrowly miss out on Champions League qualification.
Over the years, Kasper Schmeichel has proved to be a consistent and hardworking performer at Premier League level and also was exceptional during Leicester’s run to the Champions League quarter-finals three years ago where he proved his calibre on the European stage.
However, it seems improbable that United would move for Schmeichel, seeing as they already have David De Gea and Dean Henderson in their squad for the upcoming season. Henderson is eyeing that starting spot in goal and it will come down to whether the team management can convince De Gea to adjust to a spot on the bench. The last couple of seasons haven’t been great for the Spaniard who had kept the club afloat after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson but he is still a goalkeeper of high standing and Ole would ideally want to retain the services of such a player.
A move for Kasper Schmeichel would also be a step away from United’s recent transfer policy, which has seen the club track younger players with an eye on the future.
