Bastian Schweinsteiger commits himself to Old Trafford

The former German international footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger has always shown how professional he is, and this case was no exception. The midfielder announced that, however often he was involved with the first team, he would stay at Old Trafford. Schweinsteiger said that Manchester United would be his last club in Europe.

The midfielder enjoyed a long and successful era with Bayern Munich and the German national team before deciding to move to Manchester United a year earlier. He was unlucky to be injured for most of the previous season, which almost cost him his place at Euro 2016 in France. After the tournament, Bastian Schweinsteiger announced his retirement from international football.

With the arrival of Jose Mourinho, the midfielder found himself surplus to requirements and was even sent to train with the youngsters. Although the new Portuguese manager of Man United showed such disrespect to a star player, the German midfielder proved himself a great professional and chose to stay loyal to The Red Devils.

The season is long, and Schweinsteiger could still become a useful option in midfield for The Special One if any of his first-choice midfielders got injured. Manchester United were also set to compete in four competitions, so Bastian Schweinsteiger still had a chance of first-team football.

In a post on social media, Bastian Schweinsteiger wrote that Manchester United would be his last club in Europe. He said he respected all the other teams, but The Red Devils were the only club that could have made him leave his beloved Bayern Munich. He added that he would be ready to help the team, his teammates and the coach whenever they needed him, that this was all he had to say about his situation at the club, and he thanked the fans for their incredible support over the previous few weeks.

Jose Mourinho is one of the smartest managers in the game and knows best what he needs to win trophies. He knew that Schweinsteiger was not in his best condition and may have used this approach to push the midfielder into improving his form. Schweinsteiger could also be very valuable off the pitch, as a highly experienced and classy footballer. Whether he would play for Manchester United that season was a question that would be answered very soon.

The career before Old Trafford

Few players arrived in England with a longer list of honours. Schweinsteiger completed his move from Bayern Munich to Manchester United on 13 July 2015, signing a three-year contract for a reported fee of €9 million. In Munich he had won eight Bundesliga titles, seven DFB-Pokal titles and the 2012/13 Champions League. For Germany he collected 121 caps and scored 24 goals, and he was part of the side that beat Argentina 1-0 in the 2014 World Cup final, with Mario Gotze scoring in the 113th minute. After Philipp Lahm retired from international football, Schweinsteiger took over as captain and led the team at Euro 2016. His last match for Germany came on 31 August 2016 against Finland.

How his time at United ended

The stand-off with Mourinho did ease as the 2016/17 season went on. Schweinsteiger returned to the first team on 30 November 2016, coming on as a late substitute in the EFL Cup quarter-final against West Ham United, his first appearance since March. On 29 January 2017 he scored in a 4-0 FA Cup fourth-round win over Wigan Athletic.

His promise that United would be his last club in Europe held true. On 21 March 2017 Manchester United agreed to let him join Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer, and the move was completed on 29 March. He finished his United career with 35 appearances and two goals in all competitions, and announced his retirement from football on 8 October 2019.