Manchester United’s Bastian Schweinsteiger has been backed to succeed in the Premier League by Arsenal FC defender Per Mertesacker.
Schweinsteiger left his boyhood club Bayern Munich for United this summer, having won a host of major trophies with the club including eight Bundesliga titles and a UEFA Champions League.
The World Cup winner came off the bench as Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in their opening Premier League fixture.
“It takes courage to leave Munich”
Arsenal FC defender Per Mertesacker, who plays alongside the midfielder for Germany, told Die Welt that it takes courage to leave the comfort of your boyhood club, with whom Schweinsteiger had been so successful.
“He’s the next example of how big the respect for Bundesliga and German football is by now.”
“I think it’s great that ‘Basti’ has taken this step. It takes some courage to just leave Munich and FC Bayern. He had a certain status there, and was at a club subscribing to the domestic title.”
Mertesacker backs Schweinsteiger to succeed
The Old Trafford crowd welcomed his name with a huge cheer when Schweinsteiger came off the bench in the second half to make his debut. And Mertesacker, who joined Arsenal FC from Werder Bremen in 2011, said, “You could see in his first days here, how he blossomed. He came here with a command of English, and it came over big.”
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“It’s a good move. For him and his personal development, and also for German football.”
“He knows that a lot is expected of him as a world cup winner. It’s incredibly important for him that he stays healthy. Should that be the case, he will implement everything Louis van Gaal expects from him.”
“He can keep the ball, he’s got a great control of the ball, that’s what distinguishes him.
“He can become the central player at Manchester United, who like to control the opponent and then breakthrough in the deciding moment.”
Manchester United play their next Premier League fixture against Aston Villa on Friday night due to their Champions League qualifying game later in the mid-week. Schweinsteiger is expected to make his first start in one of those two games.
