Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is doing an "amazing job" at Manchester United, according to Peter Schmeichel, who has advised his old club against bringing in "another big-name manager'.
Solskjaer's first year in permanent charge of the first team at Old Trafford has been a turbulent one, to say the least, but significant signs of progress have been shown in recent months.
United embarked on an 11-match unbeaten run before the 2019-20 season was put on hiatus due to the coronavirus crisis, beating arch-rivals Manchester City twice and fellow top-four hopefuls Chelsea along the way.
The addition of Portuguese playmaker Bruno Fernandes in the January transfer window appears to have galvanised the rest of the squad, and a strong end to the season could see the Red Devils re-emerge as one of the elite sides in the Premier League.
Solskjaer's men are only three points adrift of the final Champions League spot, and have one foot in the Europa League quarter-finals after thrashing LASK 5-0 in a last-16 first-leg clash in Austria on March 12.
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United also have a last-four tie against Norwich to look forward to in the FA Cup, with pressure finally starting to ease on Solskjaer after an inconsistent run of results over the first half of the campaign.
Ex-Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was among those being linked with the Norwegian's position at the back end of last year, but Schmeichel sees no reason why the Red Devils should make a change in the dugout after a hugely encouraging period.
“I think Ole has been absolutely fantastic,” the ex-United goalkeeper said during an Instagram Q&A.
“Fingers crossed that everyone in the boardroom and the ownership circle see the same thing, that they're happy with what got and don't see the need to change to yet another big-name manager.
“We have a big-name manager. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is one of the biggest names in Manchester United's history, so we don't need anybody else.
“Ole had them going really well. It was 11 games undefeated, before everything was closed down. It was a big shame, because the job that Ole's done, it really is an amazing job."
Schmeichel went on to express his belief that Solskjaer inherited a squad which needed a major overhaul, insisting he has had to be patient while making the right moves in the transfer market in order to effect significant change.
“I don't think he was given the best squad of players to do precisely what he wanted to do," the United legend added. "He realised very quickly it was going to take time and he spent that time wisely.
“The players he knew for sure that had to go, I think most of them have gone. I think the players he brought in were good, in the sense of what he wanted to do.
“So I'm actually looking at United being very successful this season, with the introduction of new players and still in touching distance of Champions League qualification.”