Bastian Schweinsteiger might have been an outcast at Manchester United, but the German international keeps his teammates pumped up by frequently posting messages of support before matches. And a few weeks back, he also took part in a FIFA 17 session with fellow United midfielder, Ander Herrera for MUTV.
The United duo simulated their Boxing Day clash against Sunderland. Surprisingly, Schweinsteiger didn’t even bother to make sure he was on the team. Instead, he was happy with Herrera, Paul Pogba and Michael Carrick starting in centre-midfield.
It’s very obvious, the first decision any player takes when playing FIFA would be to make sure that they themselves were starting. Seems like Bastian likes to keep things as realistic as possible! The pair eventually won the game 1-0, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring the winner.
However, it’s been disheartening to see the World Cup winner not getting proper game time under Mourinho. The Manchester United boss has given mixed opinions on Schweinsteiger’s future since his arrival at the club in the summer. Upon arrival, Mourinho banished the veteran playmaker to the reserves.
Bastian was even turfed out of the first-team dressing room at Carrington and also forced to train away from his team-mates, either alone or with the academy players.
But the Portuguese manager backtracked slightly as the season progressed. Schweinsteiger was recalled to first-team training in late October. The German subsequently featured in a couple of matches with the Europa League Round of 32 fixture against St.Etienne being the latest.
In an interview with The Telegraph, former United midfielder, Owen Hargreaves said when asked about Bastian’s disposition, “Football clubs make decisions and sometimes they regret them. I think that is what happened with Bastian.”
“I think he has probably just broken Jose down. Everyone has different views on players, but he is good enough to be a squad player anywhere and I think United have come around to that idea.”
However, according to recent reports released by Daily Mail, the German midfielder could be heading stateside really soon and is expected to pen a £90,000-a-week deal with MLS outfit Chicago Fire. Schweinsteiger has 16 months remaining on his contract but it now looks likely, that the World cup winner will settle for a club where he is acknowledged and respected.
