In February, Bayern announced that Tuchel would be departing at the end of the season after an underwhelming Bundesliga campaign in which Bayer Leverkusen clinched their first-ever title.

The former Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea boss has guided the Bavarian giants to the Champions League semi-finals, where Real Madrid await.

Tuchel is part of the exclusive club of coaches working today to have lifted the European Cup, guiding Chelsea to glory in 2021 with a shock victory against Manchester City.

But his spells at Stamford Bridge and the Allianz Arena have fallen in turbulent times for the respective clubs, which appears destined to leave him out of a job again later this year.

Schmeichel, who was crucial to United's historic treble success in 1999, is a huge admirer of Tuchel. He compares his pedigree to that of departing Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp.

"I like Thomas Tuchel. I've had the pleasure of interviewing him a couple of times and his football knowledge is fantastic," Schmeichel told beIN Sports.

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"He's been a little bit unlucky with being at two big football clubs at the wrong time of their history, at times where things weren't working on every level.

"It's not that he didn't do well at Chelsea, for instance. I mean, he won the Champions League, didn't he?! I just like him, there's something about him. He projects an authority.

"Never compare people but he's got the same kind of thing that [Jurgen] Klopp has. You know he's the boss and you know what he's doing."

Schmeichel refused to be drawn into speculation surrounding Ten Hag's future at Old Trafford amid a disappointing second season in the dugout.

However, Ratcliffe and INEOS have a significant decision to make this summer, and Tuchel's availability could be too enticing an opportunity to ignore.

Schmeichel added: "If Manchester United were in the market for a manager, then he should be somebody mentioned in that respect. He should be.

"He has that kind of pedigree, he's got the authority, he's proven he can win which I think is really important.

"He doesn't come with a set system, 'This is how our football is being played'… yeah, of course, he's a big-club manager, isn't he?"