Former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has backed Bastian Schweinsteiger to be successful at Manchester United – but at the same time raised doubts regarding the midfielder after citing his injury prone years at Bayern Munich.
Bastian Schweinsteiger completed a . reported A?14.4m move to Manchester United this summer and is poised to make his debut in the English Premier League under Louis Van Gaal this season. However, his former manager Pep Guardiola has raised concerns regarding the Germana s fitness issues by claiming that the midfielder wasna t fit during his last three years at the club.
The Last Three Years He Was Never In Good Condition
Pep Guardiola believes that Schweinsteiger can prove himself to be successful at Manchester United if he can manage to stay fit during his three year contract at the club.
a When he does not have injury problems, I am completely convinced he will do very well at Manchester United.”
“He is a top, top player. Unfortunately, the last three years he was never in good condition. He is going to play really well there [at United] — I really hope that is going to happen.”
Will Schweinsteiger Prove To Be The Difference For Louis Van Gaal
Questions have been raised regarding Schweinsteigera s fitness after he completed his move to Old Trafford this summer. Although the midfielder featured in the pre-season tour with Manchester United, he missed the friendly fixture against Barcelona after picking up a minor injury, forcing Van Gaal to rest the player.
The German international featured for only 1365 minutes last season in the Bundesliga (2014/15) as compared to 2352 minutes in 2012/13, indicating his struggle with injuries at Munich.
Expected to feature prominently in Van Gaala s plans this season, it will be interesting to see how the German international adapts to the Premier League. Though his experience and ability to dictate games could prove to be the difference for Van Gaal, the midfielder will have to overcome his injury concerns in order to have an impact, much in the manner of Michael Carrick who turned 34 in July.