Manchester United outcast Bastian Schweinsteiger has finally escaped from his nightmare at the club. He has 15 months left on his contract but has been allowed to join MLS Chicago Fire.
His exit has generated a lot of debate among the fans and the media, not sparing Jose Mourinho for his harsh treatment of the German midfielder. No doubt, Schweinsteiger is a gifted player and had won eight Bundesliga titles, German Cup and the Champions league with Bayern Munich before moving to Old Trafford.
The World Cup winner’s switch was a welcome development but the signs were already there that United had signed a player who is no longer on top of his game and was to be limited to training with the reserve team a year later.
Pep Guardiola, his manager at Bayern was the first to point this out when he said the 33-year-old is no more in “good condition” and months after being signed by Louis Van Gaal the Dutch boss had to question his performance which was below his expectations.
And when Mourinho came on board he made it known that Schweinsteiger had no role to play in his team due to fatigue in his body, a statement which was seen by many as derogatory. And that he was limited to train with the youth team and later with a personal trainer generated arguments but the end result had earlier been predicted that the player is past his prime.
On being welcomed back to the first team he made less than three appearances which included a goal in the 4-0 FA Cup over Wigan. Despite what he passed through at Old Trafford he remained a favourite among the fans who always threw their support behind him.
Another thing is that the player may not have fond memories of his spell in the Premier League other than the FA Cup he won.
