Why Bastian Schweinsteiger would be a great signing for Manchester United
By Lee Kilby
Manchester United are ready for another summer transfer spree with Louis Van Gaal being given a rumoured transfer budget of £200 million to revamp his team and mount a serious title challenge.
One player who is rumoured to be on Manchester United’s radar is Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger. Manager Louis van Gaal is keen to bring some much-needed European experience to the centre of his midfield. He knows he can’t keep relying on Michael Carrick, although he has been one of United’s stand out players this season, he has also had injuries which forced him to miss several of United’s fixtures.
United do not usually buy players over the age of 27 in order to make sure that everyone they bring in will still have value if they want to move them on. Louis Van Gaal however, wants to overlook this policy and make an exception and make a serious attempt to sign Schweinsteiger, who will be 31 by the time next season kicks off.
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There are many reasons to sign a player like Bastian Schweinsteiger. First of all, his experience. The Munich star has won eight Bundesliga titles and one Champions League crown during his time at Bayern. Schweinsteiger joined Bayern’s youth team in 1998 and quickly rose through the ranks. He has made over 500 appearance for Bayern and captained the side on countless occasions. Schweinsteiger is a leader and a dominant player on the field.
Second, his talent. Schweinsteiger’s talent is unquestionable. It seem like an obvious choice but you cannot deny Schweinsteiger has been one of the best central midfielders over the past 10 years. Manchester United’s midfield has been somewhat lacking ever since the retirements of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. Schweinsteiger is on their level, a fantastic box-to-box player who can not only pick out brilliant passes and score goals, but he also helps the team out defensively when required.
Lets not forget, Louis Van Gaal and Bastian Schweinsteiger have already worked together when Van Gaal was the coach of Bayern between 2009 and 2011, so they are already familiar with each other.
Due to Schweinsteiger’s age and the fact he only has one year left on his contract, United would only have to pay around £10 million for his services. Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said Bayern would not stand in Schweinsteiger’s way were he to seek a challenge elsewhere.
United’s midfield needs bolstering by somebody who can walk straight into the squad and perform at the highest level and Bastian Schweinsteiger can do just that. For a player of his quality and experience, if this deal could happen it would be a great piece of business by Van Gaal and significantly improve Manchester United’s midfield.