Manchester United boss reveals regret at Schweinsteiger treatment

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has conceded his regret with how he treated former midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger.

The 32-year-old completed his switch from United to MLS franchise Chicago Fire during the week ending what was a thoroughly underwhelming two seasons at United.

Schweinsteiger started the season in exile after being demoted to training with the underage groups at United by Mourinho, treatment which the United boss now admits was a mistake.

“I don’t want to speak about him as a player, I don’t want to speak as I buy or not to buy. I want to speak about him as a professional, as a human being,” ESPN quotes Mourinho as saying ahead of the weekend’s action.

“The last thing I told him before he left: “I was not right with you once, I have to be right with you now’. So when he was asking me to let him leave and I had to say ‘yes, you can leave’. Because I did it once, I cannot do it twice.

“So I feel sorry for the first period with him, he knows that. I am happy that he knows because I told him. I will miss a good guy, a good professional, a good influence in training – a very good influence.

“I could not stop him to go even knowing that until the end of the season we have so many matches and we would probably need him for a few matches or a few periods. I had to let him go and now publicly wish him and his wife a very happy life in Chicago.”

The former Germany international didn’t make one single appearance in the Premier League under Mourinho and was instead given 28 minutes in the Europa League and three appearances in the domestic cup competitions, in which he scored once.

For more stats on Bastian Schweinsteiger, click here to visit his WhoScored player page