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Pep Guardiola has questioned the fitness of new Manchester United recruit Bastian Schweinsteiger, admitting that he has concerns about his former player’s injury struggles. The Bayern Munich manager believes that Schweinsteiger can impress in the Premier League only if he shakes off the niggling issues that have been affecting him over the past three seasons.
The 31-year-old was signed by Louis van Gaal for a fee of €15 million to improve Manchester United’s midfield options ahead of the 2015-16 Premier League campaign, but has had an injury-ridden few seasons before at Bayern Munich. The midfielder has managed just 82 starts in the last four seasons including just 15 Bundesliga starts in the 2014-15 season, raising many question marks about the fitness record of new Manchester United signing.
Schweinsteiger responds to Franz Beckenbauer’s doubts of him making an impact in the Premier League
Bayern Munich’s honorary president Franz Beckenbauer had recently hinted that the 2014 World Cup winner would struggle to make an impression in the Premier League and would be better suited to the MLS.
Schweinsteiger responded to Beckenbauer’s comments by stating, “I don’t know when Beckenbauer moved to America [to New York Comsos at 32]. It is a challenge for me. I feel very good. I had last year the thing with my knee after the World Cup which was very intensive for me and I had a break at October.
“But from that time on I had no injury, I was fit and felt fit at the end. Of course sometimes when you are getting older you need a little more time for recovery, maybe half a day more than 20-year-old players so that’s normal. But I think I have a lot of experience, especially of the big matches and that is an advantage always.”
Guardiola reveals he hasn’t been in good condition in the last three years
Guardiola still has faith in his former player, who had spent 17 years at Bayern, and expects him to do well in England despite being unconvinced by the German international’s injury record in his comments.
“When he does not have injury problems, I am completely convinced he will do very well at Manchester United,” Guardiola said, as reported in The Guardian.
“He is a top, top player. Unfortunately, during the last three years he was never in good condition. He is going to play really good there [at United]. I really hope that is going to happen.”
Manchester United will begin their Premier League season at Old Trafford against Tottenham Hotspur, and will be expecting to do better this season after signing Morgan Schneiderlin from Southampton, Matteo Darmian from Torino, Memphis Depay from PSV and free-agent Sergio Romero.
