Germany legend Michael Ballack has revealed that Jose Mourinho always spoke highly of Bastian Schweinsteiger and stated that the Portuguese still has respect for the midfielder despite banishing him from the first-team squad.
Schweinsteiger hasn’t featured for Manchester United since Mourinho took charge this summer and appears to have no future at the club.
Ballack stated that Schweinsteiger may well have to look for a move elsewhere in order to end his career on a positive note.
As reported by goal, Ballack said: “Jose Mourinho always spoke really highly of Bastian, he really respected him as a person and a player, but as a coach you have to make decisions.
“He made his decision and of course it’s hard for Bastian to accept because he’s a great player with a fantastic history for himself and a nice person. They respect each other, but he’s the boss and has to make decisions like that.
“I hope for Bastian that he finds his place in that team. If not, hopefully he makes a quick decision over his future because he deserves a better end to his career than being on the bench.”
Schweinsteiger kept the ball well in his first season in the Premier League- he was successful with 85% of his attempted passes- but he struggled with the pace and intensity of English football, which perhaps prompted Mourinho’s decision to exclude him from the squad.
Indeed, Schweinsteiger was successful with just 37% of his attempted passes in the top flight last season, and was frequently overrun in midfield. So far this season Mourinho has preferred to call upon the likes of Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera as opposed to Schweinsteiger.
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