Schweinsteiger calls time on Germany but Mourinho calls time on him

With Jose Mourinho believed to be starting a mass exodus at Old Trafford with as many as 9 players set to be shown the exit door in preparation for the arrival of Paul Pogba, it seems as if Bastian Schweinsteiger will be the first to depart and end his relatively short stay in Manchester. Not only that but he has also announced his retirement from international football.

Schweinsteiger had a mixed Euro 2016, scoring in Germany’s opener against Ukraine but missing a penalty in the quarter final shootout against Italy. Thankfully for him Italy’s penalties were a lot lot worse. His performances in France were somewhat removed from what he showed in the 2014 World Cup when he was arguably the best player on the pitch during the final against Argentina but as with every player time will get the better of you.

A season curtailed by injury only saw 18 league appearances and a solitary goal, it’s fair to say that when he left Bayern his best days were behind him. It also makes you think if he still had something to offer the Bavarian giants then they wouldn’t have sold him in the first place.

Again the wrong side of 30 and although he has amassed a wealth of experience after what has been a glittering career he certainly isn’t the man who used to run Bayern’s midfield for over a decade. How much does he have left to offer United arguably not a lot and all that has been weighed up by Mourinho and he feels that the now former German internationals time would be best spent elsewhere.

For a new manager coming in they look to refresh a squad especially one that only managed 5th place in the Premier League last time around and for all that Schweinsteiger has offered in the past he’s not a man you can necessarily build a midfield and more importantly a team around. With Mourinho eyeing up the younger more sportier model that goes under the name of Pogba, Schweinstieger will now be consigned to the scrapheap and you would have to say his time at Old Trafford has been somewhat of a flop. I would imagine a return to his homeland now beckons.