Peter Schmeichel believes that Ruben Amorim is a 'great candidate' to replace Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager but only if he is prepared to get to work immediately.
United sacked Ten Hag on Monday morning - ending his 29-month reign at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils won the EFL Cup and the FA Cup under the Dutchman but finished 14 points behind champions Manchester City in his first season and were then 31 points short in his second.
Since Ten Hag's exit, Sporting Lisbon boss Amorim has emerged as United's first choice to fill their vacancy. But Amorim has also been cited as a strong candidate to replace Pep Guardiola at Man City next summer when the Spaniard's current contract is due to expire. City have already confirmed that Hugo Viana, who has been working alongside Amorim at Sporting, will replace Txiki Begiristain as the director of football at the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season.
Amorim has been in charge of Sporting since March 2020. He has already delivered five trophies, including two league titles, while his side currently top the Primeira Liga table this season with 27 points from their first nine games.
Ruben Amorim is the favourite to be the next permanent manager of Manchester United
Considering how well Sporting are currently performing, it has been suggested by some observers that Amorim may want to complete the current season in Portugal before moving elsewhere. But Schmeichel is adamant that United cannot afford to wait.
Speaking on BBC Sport's Monday Night Club, Schmeichel said: 'He's doing fantastically well, undefeated in the league. I think it's nine [wins] in nine. He's already beaten Benfica. He's doing really well in the Champions League and this new Champions League format really suits a football club like Sporting. The old format was a bit difficult for those kind of clubs but this is a golden opportunity to do really, really well. And he's got a really good team.
'We're talking [about] timing. Is he going to leave Sporting Lisbon now, because it's Man United? Or is he going to stay until the end of the season? He's a great candidate, I'm convinced about that. I'm also convinced that because Hugo Viana has gone to Man City, that's part of a ploy to get him to replace Pep Guardiola. So, it might just be a play.
'But if he's going to stay until the end of the season, he's not a great candidate [for United]. This has got to be resolved now. It has got to be now. We cannot have another period with an interim manager.
'It's got to be now. We've got to be able to stop what has happened so far this season and look to the future. We cannot sit and wait. We've already wasted so many years on not being very good.
'[United are] so far behind Man City, so far behind Arsenal and so far behind Liverpool. If you want to win the Premier League you've got to match what they have and we are a far bit behind. So we need to start this process now and not in the summer.'
Former goalkeeper Schmeichel spent eight seasons at Old Trafford during his playing career, making 398 first-team appearances. He later went on to play for both Sporting and Man City before retiring in 2003.