Manchester United remain a team in “transition” and will suffer more bad results as they seek to add consistency to their game, says Peter Schmeichel.
The 2020-21 campaign has been another of inconsistency at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils veering between the sublime and ridiculous.
Points in the Premier League have been dropped against Crystal Palace and Tottenham, with Spurs inflicting a humbling 6-1 defeat on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
United have, however, made their way through to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup and secured the notable scalp of Paris Saint-Germain in their first Champions League outing of the season.
Schmeichel hopes a 2-1 victory at Parc des Princes can be used as a springboard, but accepts that a “work in progress” on the red half of Manchester may hit a few more bumps in the road.
The legendary former Red Devils goalkeeper told the club’s official website after seeing PSG downed on French soil: “This was a magnificent win and I think it was something we absolutely needed.
“I think we are still in this transition period and we will see some results that we don’t like and some of them that are going to blow us away. This was one of them that has blown us away.
“I thought it was a fantastic performance and right from the back. The goalkeeper played exceptionally. [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka and [Axel] Tuanzebe came in for a difficult game against some of the best strikers in the world and they were just fantastic.
“Up front, as well, we have got players who can, on their own, create chances and actually put them away. I think Marcus proved that right at the end.”
Schmeichel added when looking to the immediate future: “You would hope this win will give the players confidence.
“I don’t think these lads are going to get carried away. It is a very, very young squad of footballers with a very experienced manager who will tell them that this was good, but it is something that we have got to replicate in four days against Chelsea and when we play Leipzig in a week's time.
“We can’t play one great game and think we are there.
“We are still a work in progress and I think there is still some way to go before we are competitive on all fronts, but this was a fantastic performance and a giant step in the right direction.”
United are due to play host to big-spending Chelsea on Saturday, with important outings against Arsenal and Everton also fast approaching as Solskjaer’s side seek to spark their season into life.