Manchester United have wasted little time in bolstering their squad this summer, with the quick-fire acquisitions of Matteo Darmian, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger all confirmed in the last couple of days.
Despite the quality of the other two, Schweinsteiger’s capture is certainly the most high profile of these signings, with the German enforcer bringing with him a wealth of experience and a venerable track record of success.
One of the most accomplished and distinguished midfielders of a generation, landing someone of Schweinsteiger’s reputation shows that United mean business ahead of a campaign where they will be expected to launch a Premier League title bid.
Despite the box-to-box German’s signing being lauded in most corners, there should also be some areas of concern in the star’s arrival.
With this in mind, here are THREE reasons why Schweinsteiger is not the midfielder that United need this summer.
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Age
Experience is certainly a key facet in almost every winning team and Schweinsteiger can obviously bring that in abundance.
However, at 30, turning 31 next month, the veteran German’s better days are surely behind him and as such the new man cannot be expected to replicate the barnstorming form of his younger years.
With Louis van Gaal supposedly building a project with the long term in mind, Schweinsteiger’s acquisition seems to go against the holistic view and is a short-term fix.
The signs that the 30-year-old is starting to feel his age have been present over the last 12 months, with Schweinsteiger playing considerably less football while slipping from being an automatic choice to start for Bayern when available due to the presence of Xabi Alonso.
Injury record
Every player suffers from injuries throughout their careers, but Schweinsteiger has been more prone to time on the treatment table than most – especially in recent years.
Following participation in last summer’s World Cup, reportedly not at full fitness, the Kolbermoor-born midfield general faced a prolonged period of unavailability for Bayern and by the end of the campaign had only started 15 of their 34 Bundesliga fixtures.
United have allowed Robin van Persie to leave the club this week due to his age and recent poor injury record and the signing of Schweinsteiger seems to contradict this thinking given the similarities.
The last thing that United need is a big-name player that is unavailable to play and struggles to adapt to a new environment due to not being fully fit.
The ostracisation of Michael Carrick
Unassuming, workmanlike but not all-action, Michael Carrick’s role in the United team has slipped under the radar for a number of years but cannot be understated.
Last term, Van Gaal’s men had a much superior win ratio with the former Tottenham deep-lying playmaker in their team than without, with the England international quickly becoming an influential member of the side.
With Schweinsteiger signed to be the new orchestrator of United’s play, just where Carrick fits into a jigsaw puzzle that also contains Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera is unclear.
Although Carrick has had injury concerns of his own, just who the Dutch manager will pick and what formation will be used when all four central midfielders are available will make for fascinating viewing.