Bastian Schweinsteiger
Manager Jose Mourinho reportedly has told a number of players they are free to leave Manchester United and find another club. One of those players apparently is Bastian Schweinsteiger, who hasn’t played any part in United’s preseason so far.
The German has been training with the reserves and, according to reports, has been told he’s surplus to requirements at United.
Schweinsteiger posted a photo and message for fans Monday on Instagram; he was wearing a United training top and thanked fans for the birthday wishes and for the support he received after announcing that he has retired from international football.
The man who left Bayern Munich as a club legend just a year ago will probably be bemused at how his stock has managed to fall so rapidly.
While there isn’t an awful lot of sympathy from United fans toward Louis van Gaal for his two disappointing seasons at the club, all could agree that the Dutchman inherited a team severely lacking in leadership.
Captain Nemanja Vidic had already agreed with Inter Milan, vice captain Patrice Evra moved to Juventus, and Rio Ferdinand, who donned the armband whenever those two were unavailable, went to QPR. Paul Scholes had retired again a year earlier, and while Ryan Giggs was still around as Van Gaal’s assistant, his presence wasn’t felt on the pitch anymore.
In Van Gaal’s second season at the club, he acquired Schweinsteiger for just £6.5 million, seeking to add some authority to the squad. The former manager explained the signing by claiming Basti would be “useful off the pitch”, having enjoyed incredible success with both his club and country.
However, if Bayern Munich were going to allow their legendary player to leave for so little, it was clear they knew something that Van Gaal didn’t.
Schweinsteiger showed up at United a little overweight and never seemed to shift it. He was unfortunate with injuries, which prevented him from picking up real momentum.
There were some good times when he began to show what he was capable of bringing to the team, but these were few and far between. Even Van Gaal acknowledged that Schweinsteiger wasn’t the same player he had managed in Germany.
However, while his performances didn’t set the world alight, one thing that was noticeable every time he played was how well he communicated with the other players. In the prematch warm-ups on the pitch at Old Trafford, he was always seen laughing and joking with teammates young and old and chatting with them. Once the game started, he was constantly talking to the others, signalling to them where to make runs and who to pass the ball to.
It stands to reason he would struggle to get into the starting lineup every week in the season ahead, particularly once Paul Pogba is potentially thrown into the mix, but that doesn’t mean the reasons why Van Gaal acquired him aren’t still as relevant now as they were then.
Giggs has moved on, leaving just captain Wayne Rooney and vice captain Michael Carrick as the only players with experience of sustained success at the club.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic brings with him a wealth of knowledge and has been praised by numerous teammates for the impact he’s already had on the training ground and in the dressing room.
However, even with the addition of Ibra, it’s still slim pickings at United when looking for leaders. There certainly aren’t any Roy Keanes about, so in yet another period of change, it would be useful to have Schweinsteiger in the squad. He could be a calming influence, on or off the pitch, ready to offer advice and help the players keep a cool head in testing situations.
Ahead of Euro 2016, with questions being asked of Schweinsteiger’s selection given how disappointing his season at United had been, Sami Khedira explained his value to the Germany team.
“Bastian is our captain,” Khedira said. “It doesn’t change anything if I wear the captain’s armband or not.”
Rooney may wear the armband at United, for this season at least, but Schweinsteiger is one of the real leaders in that dressing room.
It appears that Mourinho’s decision has already been made, though, with Bayern Munich apparently happy to welcome back their prodigal son. In a role as player-coach, he would likely thrive upon his return to Germany, and their gain would be United’s loss.
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