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Should José Mourinho offer Bastian Schweinsteiger the opportunity to impress at Manchester United?
Bastian Schweinsteiger has certainly had an illustrious career. After all, only two years ago, he was a key player in Germany’s World Cup winning side. Manchester United signed the former Bayern veteran last season, surprising a few in the process, as he is reaching the end of his career.
His age showed during the last campaign, with an injury-hit first season at Old Trafford. Now he is at the Euros proving he still has something to offer any side, which is creativity skill – traits he has in abundance.
With José Mourinho now at Old Trafford and seemingly more sceptical about Schweinsteiger than Louis Van Gaal was, is ‘The Special One’ going to give the 31-year-old an extended stay at the Theatre of Dreams, or will he be the latest to see the final curtains?
Firstly, I should point out that Schweinsteiger was thrilled when Mourinho was announced as the new manager, with the shortly after Mourinho’s arrival:
“I think we did a great job getting Jose Mourinho to Manchester, one of the best coaches, if not the best, in European football.”
Bastian’s will to give his all for the team is admirable, and under a manager he respects and trusts he should be able to still flourish in the Premier League. Andre Schurrle; a former player under Mourinho and Schwensteiger’s German team-mate, has who had been receiving criticism for poor form and claims that he had put on weight, saying:
“It has been a hard year for him. But when he is fit and the leader he wants to be, he makes every team better. I think he will show that at Manchester United if given the chance”.
If Schweinsteiger does stay, it is still likely that his spot in the team will face severe competition with recent rumours of With Matic having worked under Mourinho before, ‘The Special One’ may look more favourably on the 27-year-old Serbian.
Another midfielder in the Red Devils’ sights is the Borussia Dortmund midfielder . It is evident that Mourinho is keen on signing midfielders of tremendous quality, but whether that means Schweinsteiger is getting demoted to the bench, getting sold or given a chance to fight is yet to be seen.
There have been rumours of Schweinsteiger departing before Mourinho was unveiled. At the end of March there were murmurings that he could be swapping . Schweinsteiger has said he looks forward to Mourinho’s reign with the Red Devils, but is he truly happy there?
Mourinho has demonstrated in the past that he is a fan of Schweinsteiger’s, especially at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where the German midfielder was overlooked for their first two group games. When he was included for the third match of the tournament, the , proclaiming:
“My instinct as a coach is that the best Germany is when Schweinsteiger gives the stability that the team needs in midfield”.
Back to the point of whether Schweinsteiger is happy – Franz Beckenbauer said before the Euros kicked off that Bastian could rediscover his form away from Man Utd ‘. Thus far, he has proven to be correct, surprising a few with his exploits in France.
The former Bayern Munich great had urged Schweinsteiger not to join the Red Devils last term, for he felt that the German national captain would struggle to adapt to English football with his career drawing to a close. He :
“Adapting to a different European league is difficult at his age”.
Again, Beckenbauer proved to be right, but whether the change in form for Germany compared to Manchester United is because of his comfort levels, only Schweinsteiger truly knows.
A multitude of factors are going to determine Mourinho’s decision to give Schweinsteiger – who is still a very talented midfielder – a second chance at Old Trafford. It is in no way a guarantee, as he is probably best positioned as a defensive midfielder, but he already has competition from the likes of Schneiderlin who is a good few years Schweinsteiger’s junior.
The German could also face further competition from players being brought in from elsewhere. His fitness is still questionable even with his performances in this years Euros, as he usually only makes an impact from the bench. This could be another way Mourinho uses the former Bayern man.
One thing for sure, is that José needs to think long and hard about getting rid of him, because the way we have seen Schweinsteiger control the middle of the park would be a major asset to any side. Even now, that is what he is – a very skilful midfielder who has given everything everywhere he goes, and it is clear to see that he is looking to thrive under José Mourinho. Therefore, it is all left in the hands of the former Chelsea boss to decide whether to keep this special player.
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