Bastian Schweinsteiger reveals Jose Mourinho apology for Manchester United nightmare
Former Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger received an apology from Jose Mourinho for how he was treated during his time under the manager.
The Red Devils signed the experienced German midfielder from Bayern Munich for £6.5million in 2015, before Mourinho took charge a year later.
By that time, Schweinsteiger had failed to make a serious impression and had missed several months with a knee injury. However, many were surprised when he was frozen out of the team altogether and sent to train with the reserves.
Schweinsteiger managed to force his way back into the first-team reckoning and made four cup appearances under Mourinho, and he has insisted he holds no grudges against his old manager.
“He apologised to me later,” he told FourFourTwo.
“I gave him a handshake and said, ‘All good, don’t worry’.
“I would’ve liked to have played more, definitely, and with Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, because with those two players I think we could have achieved much more. But I’m grateful to the supporters for the way they welcomed me when I had the chance to play.
“My dream was to play at Old Trafford again and it happened after a while, after training on my own, or with the Under-19s or Under-17s. Playing at Old Trafford again really meant a lot to me.”
Schweinsteiger, 39, has said he maintained a “pretty good relationship” with Mourinho during his time at United.
But his Old Trafford career never took off and he left for Chicago Fire during the Portuguese coach’s first season, with the speculation over his exile still ongoing to this day.
“You need to understand,” he continued. “I injured my knee the season before, I said I was going to have my treatment in Manchester, then the same injury happened again and the Euros were coming up, so I asked the club and Louis van Gaal if I could have the treatment in Germany.
“For a player, the most important thing is to be healthy and to come back as soon as possible. That was my goal, so I decided it like that, but it was not a decision against Manchester United.”
