Manchester United outcast Bastian Schweinsteiger is still optimistic about playing for Jose Mourinho’s side this season.
On Wednesday, Bastian Schweinsteiger bid farewell to international football as he represented Germany for the final time in a friendly match against Finland. He ended up on the winning side as the Germans put in a solid performance in a 2-0 win.
After the match, the 32-year-old insisted that he had not played the final game of his Manchester United career, while also hinting at the possibility of a move to Major League Soccer in the future.
Speaking to Germany’s ZDF Television (h/t ESPN), Schweinsteiger said: “New York is a great city, but I have a contract with United until 2018 and you know what the atmosphere is like at Old Trafford and it’s my dream to run out there again.
“I hope I get the chance to help the team again. I’m the kind of person who lives on intuition. I don’t think of planning ahead, I like to live and enjoy the moment. I love football still too much and that means being on the field, playing, and that is what I am thinking about.”
Schweinsteiger moved to Old Trafford last summer from Bayern Munich for a fee of £12.5 million. However, the former Bayern star struggled to cope with life in England as constant injury worries kept him out of action for extended periods of time. Even when fit, he did not show the same confidence and desire as he did during his peak at the Allianz Arena.
After Van Gaal was shown the door, former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho took over the reins at Old Trafford. Things changed drastically for Schweinsteiger as he was asked to train with the reserves and was not picked for his side’s pre-season tour of China.
The German is also not considered to be in the 23-man squad Mourinho has repeatedly mentioned he wants to work with. But to the amusement of many, Schweinsteiger decided against a move away from Old Trafford this and turned down Portuguese side Sporting CP.
With appearances in Premier League games unlikely, Schweinsteiger will now be hoping to contribute in the cup games for Manchester United. It will also be interesting to see if he is included in United’s official 25-man Premier League squad for the season.
