Bastian Schweinsteiger claims Jose Mourinho exiled him at Man United because he ‘played under Pep Guardiola’ earlier in his career… and Zlatan Ibrahimovic quit Old Trafford due to the Special One’s style of play
- Bastian Schweinsteiger has spoken on Jose Mourinho exiling him at Man United
- The German quit United in 2017 – six months after Mourinho’s Old Trafford arrival
- Schweinsteiger says his history with Pep Guardiola was an issue for Mourinho
- The midfielder and Guardiola spent two years together while at Bayern Munich
- Schweinsteiger also claims Zlatan Ibrahimovic quit United because of Mourinho
Bastian Schweinsteiger believes Jose Mourinho did not like him at Manchester United because he ‘played under Pep Guardiola’ and that Zlatan Ibrahimovic quit Old Trafford over the Special One’s style of play.
The German midfielder was brought to Manchester by Louis van Gaal, who was sacked after one season of working with the Bayern Munich legend, with Mourinho installed as his replacement in 2016.
Mourinho immediately exiled Schweinsteiger at Old Trafford, with the German playing just four times under the Portuguese before sealing a move to Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire for the 2017 season.
Bastian Schweinsteiger (left) spoke about Jose Mourinho (right) exiling him at Man United
The German also claims Zlatan Ibrahimovic (left) quit United because of Mourinho’s tactics
Schweinsteiger, now retired from playing, believes Mourinho’s style of play – which has often been described as direct and more negative – had an impact on the way he and Swedish striker Ibrahimovic left Old Trafford.
‘I didn’t play a lot (under Mourinho) unfortunately, but I still respect him,’ the German told BBC Radio 5Live.
‘He’s a great manager who has won a lot of trophies. It was a weird and difficult situation, he never really explained to me why (I didn’t play).
‘It was maybe because I played under Pep Guardiola and had played Pep Guardiola football, which he doesn’t like so much, I think. Still, I also liked how Mourinho was, actually, coaching.
Schweinsteiger (right) believes Mourinho disliked him as he worked with Pep Guardiola (left)
‘Of course the game style is different – I think that is why Zlatan left. It was not so much football, sometimes it was more direct. But he had success with his teams. It was just a strange feeling.’
Schweinsteiger had worked with Mourinho’s arch-rival Guardiola during the Spanish coach’s time at Bayern Munich, with the pair winning two Bundesliga titles and the 2014 German Cup together.
Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, joined in Mourinho’s first transfer window at United and scored 28 goals in his first season at Old Trafford, though knee ligament damage saw him quit the Red Devils in June 2017, before he renewed his contract two months later.
Schweinsteiger was brought to United by Louis van Gaal but left during Mourinho’s tenure
Ibrahimovic (left) had also worked with Mourinho’s (right) arch-rival Guardiola (middle) before
However, the iconic Swedish striker’s second stint at Old Trafford did not go to plan, with Ibrahimovic playing just seven times in Mourinho’s United side before the club terminated his contract in March 2018.
Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, also played under Guardiola in his career, with the Swedish forward scoring 22 goals in 46 matches at Barcelona under the Spanish boss.
Mourinho remained at United for nearly two years after the German quit Old Trafford, before being sacked in December 2018 following a string of poor results.
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