Sports pages of the news media have recently been replete with reports that Pep Guardiola, the Bayern Munich manager is set to offload some players who he considers unsuited to playing his new football style.
One of such players is Bastian Schweinsteiger, an iconic Allianz Arena figure.
As expected, this was good news to new United manager who had turned attention to some of Schweinsteiger’s mates especially Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos. Guardiola had insisted that Muller and Kroos would not be sold
but Schweinsteiger was now surplus to requirement.
Manchester United has long been on the trail of the midfield General who started out his career as a midfielder playing wide until Van Gaal converted him to a central midfielder where he reached his peak.
He is known as one of Europe’s best central midfielders commanding impressive presence in the middle of the field.
Is he the player that United need? Rather, is he the midfielder that United has missed in the last two seasons, especially after the retirement of Paul Scholes?
Last, after United’s 2-1 loss to their neighbour, Manchester United legend Ron Atkinson in a MUTV interview assessed United’s performance in the following words: ‘(United) need someone who can dominate central midfield the way Yaya Toure and David Silva did…(Bastian) Schweinsteiger would be perfect and he has a bad habit of passing to his own players’.
Schweinsteiger would give Manchester United the much needed presence in the central midfield.
Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverly and Daren Fletcher have lost the kind of steam and influence which intimidates opposition in the midfield and this is exactly what Schweinsteiger can bring to United.
Added to this are his leadership qualities which can help coordinate United’s midfield. If paired with Carrick, his holding ability will allow Carrick play a more advance role to support attack.
At 29, Schweinsteiger is certainly not the same quality player he has been over the years especially when Van Gaal was the manager at the Allianz Arena but he can provide much needed succour to United’s ailing midfield.
Louis Van Gaal certainly is aware of the player’s current challenges with respect to form and injuries, and he would know what needs to be done to bring him back to the form he needs in United’s midfield.
We come to a very salient point: will Bayern Munich sell Schweinsteiger?
Two years ago, this would have been unthinkable; but under Guardiola, it certainly can happen. The club would need money fo fund their purchase of incoming reinforcements and Schweinsteiger appears to have become a dispensable player under Guardiola.
He made end up being the iconic figure in the Van Gaal’s era at Manchester United.
