Peter Schmeichel has pulled no punches towards Manchester United and Erik ten Hag over the impact that two signings have had on the Premier League club.
Manchester United have endured a tough start to the 2024-25 season, with the Red Devils kicking off things with a penalty shootout defeat in the Community Shield.
Following the loss against Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley last month, United bounced back with a 1-0 win over Fulham at Old Trafford.
However, the early momentum from United’s first Premier League match of the season against Fulham fizzled away in the Red Devils’ last two results.
Erik ten Hag’s men suffered a 2-1 defeat to Brighton at the Amex before a crushing 3-0 loss to Premier League rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford.
United have only collected three points from their opening three Premier League matches before the start of the September international break.
The Red Devils, who are 14th in the Premier League table, won’t return to action until 14th September for their trip to the St Mary’s against Southampton.
Schmeichel on two Man Utd signings
Erik ten Hag inked a new contract extension with Manchester United this summer, despite a mixed second season in charge at Old Trafford.
Ineos and United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe opted to retain Ten Hag’s services after completing an end-of-season review following the 2024 FA Cup final win.
Ten Hag has seen his first-team squad bolstered with the addition of several new signings, including the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Leny Yoro.
However, Peter Schmeichel pointed to the signings of Casemiro and Antony in 2022 as the moment when the “whole structure” of the Premier League club changed.
Antony played under Ten Hag at Ajax and the 24-year-old Brazilian winger arrived at Old Trafford after United agreed a hefty initial fee of £82m to sign him.
Casemiro, meanwhile, left Real Madrid and completed a big-money move to United, with the Red Devils agreeing a deal worth up to £70m for the Brazilian midfielder.
“It’s probably one of the most disappointing things is we had these opportunities, he’s come in, he’s allowed to spend a lot of money, he’s bringing Casemiro and Antony which changes the whole structure of the club,” Schmeichel told Optus Sport.
“I think part of the reason the sale happened was because they had to finance those two players.
“From that moment on the club changed and then you have someone new come and they had chances to make those changes, those really big statements saying these are our standards and we will not tolerate any less than this.”
Schmeichel on ‘moment’ Man Utd needed change
Schmeichel insisted that last season’s crushing 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in May should have been a turning point for United.
“When we lost 4-1 [scoreline was actually 4-0] to Crystal Palace here, that was a moment we could have made that change,” he continued.
“When that game was lost, it’s change that could have been made and shown everyone in here who loves Manchester United understand that now it’s a different Manchester United.
“They’ve supported the manager, they’ve given him money, we’ve played three games, lost two, I don’t see the difference.
“I could nearly cry because of that because I want this team to do really well.”
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