Louis van Gaal: Bastian Schweinsteiger can return to his best

On the 13th July 2015 Manchester United completed the signing of Bastian Schweinsteiger on a three-year contract from Bayern Munich for a reported fee of £6.5 million. Louis van Gaal in a recent interview with the official Manchester United website has confirmed that he believes that there is still more to come from the World Cup winner this season.

“Bastian has been unlucky because he picked up an injury at a time that he was playing very well – he was improving. However, during December I said that I expect more and he was very disappointed I said that, but I think I can say that because my expectation is higher.”

Bastian Schweinsteiger has been inconsistent this season, failing to fulfil the high expectations from the fans for him. Schweinsteiger has been regularly rotated in the first team this season, with fellow defensive midfielders: Michael Carrick, Marouanne Fellaini and Morgan Schneiderlin. Bastian Schweinsteiger has been less influential in attack this season than in his final season at Bayern Munich, only scoring one goal in seventeen Premier League games and is yet to register an assist in the league.

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Compared to this in only three more games in the Bundesliga last season the experienced German managed to score five goals for the German champions Bayern Munich. In addition to this Schweinsteiger has only created eight chances so far in the Premier League for Manchester United, a low amount for a central midfielder after seventeen games, on the contrary Schweinsteiger created thirty chances for Bayern Munich last season. Van Gaal continued:

“Manchester United has bought him even though he is now 31, so I had to convince the board to buy him, because he’s a very good player and he always gives a team more balance. He played very well at Wolfsburg and then began to reach the level he showed at Munich – I think he can [get back to it].”                          

So far Schweinsteiger has struggled to regain the form that made him a world class central midfielder. Schweinsteiger’s age led some to believe that he was past his prime, including previous manager Pep Guardiola who claimed that the German had not been fully fit for three seasons, upon the sale of him to Manchester United. Schweinsteiger’s injuries have caught up to him yet again as he has so far missed Manchester United’s last seven games, with a knee injury suffered in the 1-0 victory in the Emirates FA Cup against Sheffield United.

Franz Beckenbauer, suggested that Bastian Schweinsteiger could struggle with the physicality of the Premier League and instead recommended that he moved to the MLS instead of Manchester United. Despite this warning Schweinsteiger rejected the advice and chose the more competitive transfer. Current Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal believes that Schweinsteiger can rediscover his best form and insists that he has done so in patches, such as the game against Wolfsburg in the champions league. However, he has not done so consistently this season, but when he has performed to his potential it is undeniable that he has helped to control the tempo of games and add more balance to the Manchester United team.

Evidently Schweinsteiger has declined as a player and lacks the pace which he possessed in 2009 when he was at the peak of his powers, but this is to be expected from a player who gives so much to club and country. Manchester United’s first ever German player certainly has battle scars from his wars for Bayern Munich and Germany, the veteran midfielder may be battered and bruised but he is still as composed on the ball as ever and can control the pace of a game as well as he ever has. Schweinsteiger may never regain the level that he showed at Bayern Munich, but realistically he is not expected to. Fans have accepted that he is no longer the box to box midfielder of the past, yet he can still play an important part in the Manchester 

United team for the next two seasons and hopefully help return the club to the success and glory that he is used to.

CREDIT: http://mufclatest.com/louis-van-gaal-bastian-schweinsteiger-can-return-to-his-best/