German World Cup winning captain Philipp Lahm has suggested that he would be upset if his long time friend and team-mate Bastian Schweinsteiger was to leave the Allianz Arena, but would respect any decision that the dynamic midfielder makes.
Bastian Schweinsteiger has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in recent times, with only a year left on his current contract with the Bavarians. Bayern Munich CEO, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had earlier confirmed that Schweinsteiger was flattered by interest from England, ahead of crunch talks with the midfielder regarding his future.
Lahm who has played with Schweinsteiger for almost the entirety of his career, admits it would be sad to see his colleague and good friend leave, with Manchester United reportedly close to signing the 30-year-old. The right-back also insisted that he had retired from the national team for the good of youngsters, and a return was out of question ahead of next year’s Olympics.
In a recent interview, the World Cup winner said- “Of course I would regret him leaving,”
“I took my decision to stop playing for the national team. Basti and I aren’t the youngest guys around any more. It’s us who make decisions and everyone should accept them.
“There’s no reason for me to start a conversation with Bastian. We’ve played in the same team since we were 16 apart from my two years at Stuttgart.
“We’ve gone through a lot together. For me, he’s an exceptional player. The decision about his future should be taken by him and the club. No other player should be involved.”
Lahm, a Bayern Munich youth product has been at the club for close to 20 years, and has been through a lot of up’s and down’s throughout his career at the Allianz Arena. He also threw some light, as to why he rejected a move to Manchester United in 2008, when Sir Alex Ferguson was interested in the services of the full-back.
Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal has already added mercurial winger Memphis Depay to his ranks, and a deal for Matteo Darmian is believed to be close, with the right-back set to fly in anytime to complete his medical and seal the deal. The Dutchman had reassured fans of more signings . at Old Trafford, during the unveiling of Depay, and if the deal for Schweinsteiger goes through, it would mark a huge improvement on the mid-field options that he currently has at his disposal.