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Germany manager Joachim Low has launched a staunch defence of Bastian Schweinsteiger, following Louis van Gaal’s criticism of the Manchester United midfielder.

Schweinsteiger was substituted after 69 minutes of United’s 3-2 Champions League defeat to Wolfsburg on Tuesday.

Van Gaal was withering in his assessment of the 31-year-old, saying: “I have changed him and I don’t change players for nothing. I think I can do better with other players, but we are all human beings and also Bastian Schweinsteiger is a human being.

“He wants to play at the highest level and certainly in Germany to show his qualities, but I cannot say that he was the Schweinsteiger from my period in Munich today.”

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But Low jumped to Schweinsteiger’s defence, telling German newspaper Bild: “We at the German Football Association know what we are getting with Bastian.

(Image: Brian Lawless/PA Wire)

“He’s still a world-class player and undisputedly our captain. You’ve got to give even an experienced player like him time to adapt to a new league.

“I am sure that Manchester United are still going to get a lot of joy out of Schweinsteiger.”

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Van Gaal has come in for criticism over his tactics at United, but Schweinsteiger has been among his vocal supporters.

Last week he said: “I think he has his philosophy. We try to improve in every match, but it’s not easy sometimes when you play against teams who defend with 10 players in their own half, and maybe a little bit deeper. You have to find solutions, and maybe the right moment to accelerate.”