The 31-year-old, who moved to Old Trafford in the summer after nearly two decades with Bayern Munich, has revealed how he sensed over the summer that the time had come to seek out a new challenge away from the Allianz Arena – and when United came calling everything clicked into place.

"I felt within myself that I needed to change what I was doing,”Schweinsteiger told Die Zelt.

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“I needed a new stimulus.

“So the interest from Manchester United was a perfect fit.”

While the move may have worked out well for the World Cup-winning midfielder, he admits that his departure from Bavaria did not go quite as planned. Due to the timings of the transfer, Schweinsteiger never got to bid farewell to the fans in a fitting manner – something he regrets.

“I would like to say goodbye properly,” he said. “There was the season’s opening ceremony at the stadium, but I didn’t want to stand there in the Bayern jersey, waving to the fans, then a few hours later say: ‘That was nice, but I’m off to England.’

“Because I have a good relationship with the Bayern fans, that’s why I left it the way I did."

Schweinsteiger’s exit was met with surprise and consternation in Germany, with the versatile midfielder considered a symbol of the club – a player expected to stay involved with the organisation even following the end of his playing days.

He insists that remains a strong possibility, even if he is currently focused on helping United achieve their ambitions.

"Perhaps a day will come when I’ll return to the [Bayern] stadium," he added.

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