Bastian Schweinsteiger‘s regrettable English Premier League experience with Manchester United, started with an injury-hit debut season under former coach Loius van Gaal. Though the player’s fitness improved a bit with Jose Mourinho‘s arrival, for many football lovers, it’s yet a mystery why such a highly-rated footballer would suddenly become an outcast that nobody wants at Old Trafford.
Image: Bastian Schweinsteiger
Jose Mourinho, Manchester United chiefs, and even teammates are all unhappy with the German captain but this misunderstanding has been a secret until now. How? Read along and you’ll find out.
The media called for Mourinho’s head when Bastian was banished from the first team, and sent to train with the Under 21s. This turn of events provoked Dejan Stefanovic, a lawyer and FifPro member from Slovenia, who told BBC Sport: “It’s clear bullying. In Slovenia, we would have indicted Mourinho and asked for the highest penalty — three years in prison.”
Stefanovic later tendered an unreserved apology to the Portuguese coach, probably after he understood why the German playmaker received so much hate from Old Trafford.
Reports confirm the World Cup winner has been offered to interested clubs for as little as £2million–in a free transfer–with the expectation that he’ll be snapped up by any club, maybe in USA or China, before next Wednesday when the transfer window closes.
Image: Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bastian arrived Old Trafford as a popular and respected member of the squad. This image has been maintained over time by the player and media, but recent revelations from Daily Mail says this hasn’t been the reality.
The German who has been shown the exit door by Mourinho, was in fact, confronted by a group of “angry senior members” of the squad last season over his unprofessional behavior.
According to Sportsmail, they were irritated after constantly seeing pictures of the former Bayern Munich midfielder travelling around the world while watching his now-wife Ana Ivanovic playing tennis.
Things went awry because everyone knew Schweinsteiger was recovering from injuries but he could have shown some committment to United as the club, at that moment, was battling to secure a top-four finish at the Premier League table last season. This was his unforgivable sin.
According to the Mail’s report, this disrespect and betrayal angered most of Louis van Gaal’s senior players who apparently plotted Bastian’s fall from grace to grass.
The elite members of United warned him to stay back and recover for the club’s sake instead of watching tennis but he wouldn’t listen. This is the sole reason why Mourinho wants the German star out of his squad.
Jose is known to be a “no nonsense coach” so it’s either you’re in or out–give your best or take the easiest way out.
However, while there has been speculations that the Portuguese tactician may find a place in his heart to forgive Bastian if no buyer comes along finally, things just got worse following the player’s recent tweet in which he said “United will be his last club in Europe”.
Image: Bastian Schweinsteiger
For this outright show of disregard, according to the Guardian, the Red Devils have considered letting him go on a free transfer. But it might cost a bit more to get the German out.
Give Me Sport said “it would require the club offering the £200,000-a-week star a fairly hefty compensation package to end his contract a year earlier than planned”.
“America and China appear to be the most likely destinations for Schweinsteiger, but there’s a problem here.
“The MLS transfer window is now closed and doesn’t re-open again until February, while China’s transfer window is also shut and opens up again in January.”
And now Paul Pogba just arrived Old Trafford on a world record transfer fee, so nobody wants the 32-year-old on United’s payroll.
Things are really too bad for the former Bayern Munish midfielder at the moment because it’s not certain that United will find an interested buyer between now and next Wednesday when the transfer window closes.
Worse still, the player just said “MUFC will be my last club in Europe”. With China and MLS out of the question, doesn’t it look like he’s ready to battle with United in court?
The player might as well just sit at home on a paid leave until January or February next year. There’s fire on the mountain and no one seem to be running.
Almost everyone is pointing accusing fingers on Mourinho for sending Bastian to train with the Under 21s but that’s a wrong assumption as clarified by a German newspaper Bild. Manchester Evening News quotes the tabloid as saying that “Mourinho actually likes Schweinsteiger and it’s United chiefs who want him gone”.
United chiefs are said to be keen on getting the midfielder out of their payroll as soon as possible. After spending over £140m this summer and signing Paul Pogba on a contract worth a reported £290,000-a-week, the club executives want to recoup as much money as they could.
So it seems Jose was actually trying to help Bastian regain his lost fitness by training with the Under 21s but nobody understood the Portuguese coach.
However, other reports claim things would have been better for the World Cup winner if only Mourinho had wanted him to stay. But the Portuguese tactician doesn’t want a liability either, and the player feels the walls at Old Trafford have cracked already.
The coach is known to be crazy about winning, and unfortunately, Bastian’s behavior has put him against Mou’s philosophy–and against Manchester United.
Image: Bastian Schweinsteiger and Manuel Neuer.
Meanwhile, former teammate at Bayern Munich and Germany national team goalkeeper Manuel Neuer told Bild:
“Basti is a super player and an important man with a lot of experience, which is very important for the team.
“I can therefore not understand this decision at all.”
“It’s very bitter and sad,” he was quoted as saying by Goal. “We know how important Bastian was for all his teams, no matter if it was Bayern or the national team.
“For me he was one of the best midfielders in the world and still is. So it’s sad that the football world can’t see him right now.”
Image: Bastian Schweinsteiger (Left) and teammates at Bayern Munich.
The misunderstanding will never be forgotten but it’s good the way things went afterwards. Nothing remains permanent except change itself. Mourinho is a reputable coach with controversies surrounding him. And the German player has a good name to protect, too. When there are conflicts of interests, such things happen anywhere and everywhere.