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Bastian Schweinsteiger has claimed that Jose Mourinho prevented him from entering the Manchester United dressing room during his time at Old Trafford.
The iconic German midfielder spent two years with the Red Devils, the second under Mourinho. He endured a difficult spell due to a lack of game time and it appears the Portuguese coach chose to freeze him out of the first team.
Schweinsteiger spoke to Manchester United icon Gary Neville on Sky Bet's Stick to Football. The Bayern Munich legend stunned the club's former teammate with his revelation about Mourinho.
The eight-time Bundesliga winner claims departing director of football John Murtough stopped him from entering the dressing room on Mourinho's order (via UtdDistrict):
"When I came back the first day, I came to Carrington, and John Murtough was there, and he said, ‘you’re not allowed to walk into the dressing room’ – I said why. He said that the coach said so. No warning."
Schweinsteiger suffered with several issues during his short spell at Manchester United. He was made to train with the youth squad as Mourinho was unhappy with the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner undergoing knee surgery back home in Germany.
The former Red Devils boss believed that this signified that he wasn't happy at Old Trafford but that wasn't the case:
"I was very sad because I really [consider] Manchester United as a second club in my heart. I gave a lot when I played."
Manchester United signed Schweinsteiger from Bayern for £6.5 million in July 2017. He made just four appearances under Mourinho, scoring one goal and providing one assist.
Schweinsteiger's former Bavarians boss Louis van Gaal brought him to Old Trafford. The Dutch coach was sacked at the end of the 2015-16 season, ultimately leading to the German's exit a year later.
Luke Shaw shed light on similar issues with Jose Mourinho at Manchester United
Jose Mourinho is regarded as one of the greatest tacticians in the history of the sport. The Portuguese has won titles in England, Spain, Portugal, and Italy as well as two UEFA Champions League trophies.
The former Real Madrid coach's man management is often attributed to his success but it can also rub players up the wrong way. He's demanding and a strict disciplinarian who runs his team his way.
Jose Mourinho clashed with several Manchester United stars during his reign at Old Trafford. One of those was Luke Shaw whose injury problems and slow start with the 13-time Premier League champions infuriated him.
The four-time FIFA Best Coach of the Year aimed digs at Shaw like "he cannot continue to play with my brain". He also questioned Shaw's focus and ambition relating to training.
Shaw discussed his strained relationship with Mourinho in an interview in 2021. He said (via The Mirror):
"Our relationship wasn't the best. It was probably quite easy to see that from the outside. But one thing Jose did do was make me mentally much stronger. I think mental strength is what I would describe that period under Jose Mourinho."
Mourinho guided Manchester United to the UEFA Europa League and the League Cup in 2016-17. The Red Devils won 84 of his 144 games in charge and many argue he's been the best post-Sir Alex Ferguson manager at Old Trafford.
