Peter Schmeichel has urged Manchester United to sign former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka in the summer transfer window.
United are in the market to sign at least one new central midfielder this summer with Casemiro set to leave Old Trafford on a free transfer once his contract expires.
Adam Wharton, Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba and Sandro Tonali are all on United’s midfield shortlist.
However, Schmeichel believes Xhaka would be the ideal player to add ‘proper leadership’ to United’s dressing room.
Xhaka spent seven seasons at Arsenal, helping the club win two FA Cup trophies, before he left to become a key figure in the Bayer Leverkusen side which won the domestic double under Xabi Alonso in 2024.
The Switzerland international joined Sunderland in a £17 million deal last year and has been instrumental in helping Regis Le Bris’ side avoid relegation this season.
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‘I have one that’s a little bit controversial in thinking but I think we should go and sign Xhaka,’ Schmeichel said on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast.
‘Have you watched him? I make my case, what we are going to do is build the team around Kobbie, right.
‘Now, Casemiro is leaving. Now you bring in somebody like Wharton, Anderson whatever… that’s still young, that’s still Manchester United untried.
‘What we need and what we don’t really have apart from Harry [Maguire] and Bruno [Fernandes] in that team is proper leadership, right?
‘When I look at what Xhaka’s done for Sunderland, Xhaka is the reason they are where they are.
‘He has been absolutely amazing, his leadership qualities are great, he can play 80 per cent of the games, he is actually a really good player.
‘I know he can do it. And if he could do one or two years. We need leadership. I know Tonali… has he done enough at Newcastle to warrant that?
‘I think about the leadership and the dressing room, having that power around a person is very rare these days. I think that’s one thing we really need, we’re desperate for more leadership. I think Harry [Maguire] is a fantastic leader, I think Bruno [Fernandes] is a leader in his own way and he leads a lot by how he plays but I look at the rest of the squad and they are followers.
‘We know the value of having those players in there. You need someone who can pull you out by the hair and get you playing. That value of having that is just… I think that would be a really good thing.’
However, Paul Scholes, dismissed Schmeichel’s suggestion to sign Xhaka as he replied: ‘I just think it’s a backwards step.
‘I do like him , I think he’s really good but I think he’s good where he’s at.
‘Look, he’s played for big clubs, he’s played for Arsenal, he had a tricky time there, I just don’t think that’s very ambitious.’
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