Man Utd: Bastian Schweinsteiger's future in doubt after Jose Mourinho arrival
Last updated on .From the section Football
German World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger's future at Manchester United is in doubt following Jose Mourinho's appointment as manager.
Mourinho has already made three big summer signings and is closing in on Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.
Schweinsteiger, 31, looks like being one of nine players who may leave.
The midfielder, who has announced his international retirement, trained on his own as United's full squad trained together for the first time.
Forwards Adnan Januzaj, Will Keane and James Wilson, midfielder Andreas Pereira and defenders Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Tim Fosu-Mensah, Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair are also reportedly set to be made available, though some may only leave on loan.
None of those players have been selected in a 23-man squad for Saturday's friendly against Galatasaray in Gothenburg.
With all the other senior players who were absent from the recent tour of China present, Schweinsteiger's absence from Thursday's squad training session is being viewed as significant.
United paid a reported £14.4m to sign him from Bayern Munich 12 months ago but the move did not work out as planned.
Injury restricted Schweinsteiger to 31 appearances and he was involved in just seven of United's final 34 games, including missing the FA Cup final win over Crystal Palace.
He injured a knee on international duty in March and only returned at Euro 2016, when he scored on his first appearance, as a substitute, against Ukraine.
Of the other players who did not train with the United squad on Thursday, Januzaj has had the biggest fall from grace.
The 21-year-old Belgian was one of the star performers in David Moyes' single season in charge, when he earned himself a big increase in a five-year contract.
But his progress was not maintained and he was loaned to Borussia Dortmund last season.
He did not start a league game and the German side were happy to let United cut the deal short midway through the season when Louis van Gaal's squad were badly affected by injury.
He then featured for 17 minutes in three substitute appearances.
Since his arrival, Mourinho has signed Villarreal defender Eric Bailly for about £30m, midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Borussia Dortmund for an undisclosed fee and former Paris St-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free transfer.
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Not to mention the others who have just broken through from the ranks
Mourinho's youth policy already in full swing.
"I always find it shameful when a player retires from 'international' duty".
Really?
More than 100 caps and around 24 goals!
Retiring because he knows his energy level, commitment capability and how he can best extend his playing career.
It's because he's an intelligent footballer and a thoroughly well respected professional.
Where's the shame in all that?
"Then united have released someone for FREE and are now bidding over £100m trying to get him back...
hilarious how badly this football club has been run since Fergie left."
Wasn't Fergie still in charge when the club allowed Pogba's contract to expire, seeing him go to Juve on a free?
well another club will bag a quality singing and get what is a highly experienced dedicated player united needed
Hes only 31! he's got so many years of his career left
Ferguson sold players like John Curtis, Erik Nevland, Luke Chadwick, Darron Gibson, and Sylvain Ebanks-Blake as they weren't good enough. So all of this criticism of Mourinho is a little unfair.
N Powell - free
Nani - 4m excellent in Euros
Chicharito - 7m banging them in, in germany
Rafael - 2m
Evra - 1m won heaps at Juve
Zaha - 6m doing well at palace
Kagawa - 6m
Cleverley - free
that's 26m total, when Fellaini cost 27m
"They fail to remeber the last five HYS articles were not about Man United but they will still think they were."
Hey stop introducing facts and smart comments. It's getting in the way of people being obsessed with criticising United for the sake of it.
lets not forget how they refused to play in the FA cup whilst chasing the money....
Why not build the team around Rashford, Martial, Lingard etc who are all bright young prospects as opposed to building around Ibra and Rooney who have passed their peak
Other than the continuing poor behaviour of their fans, Liverpool haven't been a newsworthy club for 25 years.
Januzaj is another strange case, I really don't see how a player with his natural ability has been left to waste either on the bench or loaned to clubs unwilling to play him. His first season under Moyes was pretty accomplished for such a young player.
1. You will never see Man Utd trying to buy the title...
2. The Club of Sir Matt Busby will always have too much class for Mourinho....a toxic manager who always takes his Clubs name into the gutter.
3. We will never be a sacking Club like the others...Utd will always give their Managers time
Incredible how desperate United have become
Anyway, IF this is true, (and it is just based on him missing one training session!) Schweinsteiger will easily walk straight back into a coaching role at Bayern or the German national team.
That proves that you do not need to indulge in this obscenity of a transfer window to the levels man utd, Chelsea and man city are.
Has no one thought " there might be something in making a team rather than a collection of hyped mercenaries?"
For 100m you could build a very good squad