Last week, Louis van Gaal announced his intentions loud and clear for the upcoming season by signing Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin, addressing one of the main weaknesses of the squad. Schweinsteiger’s signing in particular was greeted with great enthusiasm: A world cup winner with a wealth of experience and one of the key components of Bayern’s recently all-conquering team – but will he succeed in the Prem?

On the face of it, Schweinsteiger is undoubtedly a world class player, and the ideal man for the Red Devil’s title push: a dynamic midfielder with immaculate passing and tackling, a disciple of van Gaal, and a willingness to play for the club. Many Manchester United fans were celebrating the arrival of a player who they believe is a key player for their title challenge. Nonetheless, there are several factors which could hinder him in his time in England.

What makes Schweinsteiger a great coup for United is the fact that he is a World Cup winner and was an important figure in Bayern’s win of the treble in 2013. He will no doubt go down in German football history as an all-time great through his commitment and passion for the game. His experience will come very handy to Manchester United since they are lacking players in that department. Moreover, his style of play should increase their stability in midfield, which was easily broken down last season numerous times due to the absence of Carrick. Morever, Schweinsteiger is a versatile player that United have been lacking in recent seasons. This is shown by the fact he has played in all of Bayern’s Bundesliga games last season when available apart from the meeting with relegated Paderborn.

There is no doubt that Schweinsteiger’s working relationship with van Gaal proved to be a key facet of the transfer: Schweinsteiger knows how his system works and appreciates the role he will play in the team this upcoming campaign. Though having played under van Gaal in the past has not always made for a happy reunion, with Victor Valdes, who had been given his Barcelona debut by van Gaal, set to leave after various disagreements. This, however, is unlikely to happen in Schweinsteiger’s case given his highly professional attitude to the game – he is unlikely to kick up a fuss, so to speak.

However, there are questions that will remain unanswered until the start of the competitive season. For example, how will Schweinsteiger fit into life into the highly competitive Premier League? Even though he is very experienced player, he has only played in the Bundesliga, where he was surrounded by a group of players that dominated the league (though not always) at various points over his Munich career. Moreover, the Premier League is much more physical than the Bundesliga, which might mean that he will struggle to adapt. Given that he is going to turn 31 this year, it implies that it will make it even more difficult to get used to the style of play in England. On the other hand, Michael Ballack seemed to cope just fine when he moved to Chelsea at a similar age. Moreover, his age could also hinder his ability to play week in and out for 90 minutes and he might struggle with the busy schedule during the winter, when usually there is a break in the Bundesliga. In my opinion, this suggests that he will be a starter for this season, while his role will slowly decline as Schneiderlin will grow into his role as he gains experience. In addition, unlike Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin has been playing in the Premier League and in England enough to make him more likely to adapt to his new teammates.

Finally, this will be a very new experience for Schweinsteiger at quite an old age, which he hasn’t faced for nearly a decade. He will have to step out of a team that was built around him and fit into a new one, in a stronger league. This is an extremely difficult task for anyone, especially for a Central Midfielder.

There are all sorts of questions around Schweinsteiger regarding his transfer to Manchester United, which we will only gain answers to when the season kicks off. He will face tough competition for his position with other younger players around him. As a fan of Schweinsteiger, I hope his move works out for him and I wish him the best for the future.

/u/Jargozeti, /u/Madjugah

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