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Bastian Schweinsteiger has hit back at critics who have knocked him for his lack of pace.

The Manchester United midfielder has been criticised for not matching the form he showed in leading Germany to the World Cup last year in the hurly-burly of the Premier League.

Schweinsteiger admits he will never match Usain Bolt but insists speed of thought is as important as sprinting prowess.

"I am not impressed by the criticism that has been brought up over me via the media," he told German publication Welt am Sonntag .

"I am currently playing on a level that is comparable to that during the World Cup in 2014.

"'Old man's football' - that is an expression that was used back then, too. After the World Cup final those voices went silent."

Schweinsteiger, who missed the Reds' 2-1 defeat to Norwich because of suspension, knows he isn't the fastest player in the English top flight.

He added: "I will never be able to compete with Usain Bolt. But being slow or being quick on the pitch has not solely something to do with making sprints.

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"It's also about being quick in your head. And that's something where I am fully up to it. And physically, I am not the slowest either.

"For me, it is important what I am being told face to face. Every one or two words will be made bigger than they actually are. It was a good year for me, but not a perfect year. My performances in Manchester were really okay."