Bastian Schweinsteiger’s disappointing spell at Manchester United has come to an end after he moved to the MLS.
The World Cup winner has teamed up with Chicago Fire hoping for more success than he ever experienced in his short time in the Premier League.
While it’s not entirely clear what his purpose was at Old Trafford, no United fans will wish him any ill.
The German was given a standing ovation during a rare substitute appearance against West Ham in the EFL Cup earlier this season, so he was evidently popular despite his lack of game time.
Jose Mourinho was supposed to be among his biggest critics, leaving him out in the cold completely and making him train with the reserves in the early stages of the campaign.
Schweini’s work ethic earned him a recall to the main group, though, and his former manager now admits he didn’t handle the situation in the right way.
“He is in the category of players I feel sorry for something that I did to him,” Mourinho told a press conference.
“I don’t want to speak about him as a player, I don’t want to speak about him as a player I would or would not buy.
“I want to speak about him as a professional, as a human being. It was 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, 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 very good influence in training.”
Mourinho was speaking ahead of the West Brom game on Saturday – ironically a game in which he is set to be short in central midfield.
There would have been no chance of him playing Schweinsteiger nonetheless, though, and he is now at least free to revive his career elsewhere.
“ I could not stop him to go, even though I know we have so many matches and probably would need him for a few matches or a few periods,” Mourinho added.
“But I had to let him go and now publicly wish him and his wife a very happy life in Chicago.”
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