Manchester United begins their summer preseason tour of the United States tonight when they take on Club America in Seattle. This will mark the highly anticipated debut of Bastian Schweinsteiger, who just this past week made the move to Old Trafford. The German National team Captain is the first player from Deutschland to join the club, and he’ll have plenty to prove.
One of the biggest names in the history of German football, Franz Beckenbauer, said awhile back that Schweinsteiger should move to MLS instead of the Premier League. So Basti seeks to prove him wrong. Then there’s Bayern Munich, who didn’t truly have a place for him in their midfield.
Then you have the supporters who point out his age and recent injury history; providing room for doubt.
Finally, but most importantly, is Manager Louis van Gaal who said that first team football is not promised to the skipper of the reigning World Cup champions; nor to Morgan Schneiderlin, who signed a couple days later.
Here’s what Schweinsteiger had to say at his unveiling to the media today:
‘I have a lot of experience in big matches and that is an advantage. I am confident I can adjust to the Premier League. My style of play is to control a game.
‘You have to be smart in your brain and fast. For me it is very important to control a situation in defence. You can always score goals but you have to add stability in the defence.
‘I had the chance to join United in 2010. I thought about what to do. There were opportunities. But my goal was always to win the Champions League with my club Bayern Munich. Now I am happy to be here.
‘My brother is a huge Manchester United fan. He is a big Eric Cantona and Ryan Giggs fan. It was always a dream to be a Manchester United player.
‘I saw the 1999 Champions League final between United and Bayern at home. My brother had the United jersey on and I had Bayern’s. I didn’t cry but my brother was very happy.”
Schweinsteiger is ready to work again under the tough love of Van Gaal and is completely confident that he will succeed in the Premier League.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
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