Bastian Schweinsteiger still has designs on seeing out his Manchester United contract.
The central midfielder, whose final game for Germany was a teary farewell against Finland on Wednesday night, believes he has something to offer Jose Mourinho.
Schweinsteiger was handed a three-year contract at Old Trafford on signing from Bayern Munich last summer, but his stint with the Red Devils has not gone as he would have hoped.
But Mourinho has removed the World Cup winner from his first-team squad and the 32-year-old appears to have played his final game for the club.
Schweinsteiger has not started a game for United since January, his time in England blighted by lack of form and fitness.
Major League Soccer remains his most likely destination when their transfer window re-opens and he is thought to favour a move to New York should a club commit to taking over wages in excess of £130,000 a week.
Moving to New York would benefit his wife, tennis star Ana Ivanovic, and see him follow in the footsteps of his hero, Franz Beckenbauer.
For now, though, Schweinsteiger claimed he has eyes on staying in Manchester, although he did admit he may have a decision to make sooner rather than later. He is already thought to have spurned the chance of moving elsewhere in Europe.
'New York is a great city, but I have a contract with United until 2018 and you know what the atmosphere is like at Old Trafford and it's my dream to run out there again,' he said in Monchengladbach.
'I listen to myself, listen to my heart. Of course I speak to others, but I make the decision.
'I'm not a big planner, I decide by intuition. I hope that I get the chance there to help the team. If it doesn't happen we'll have to see.'
The chances of any opportunity under Mourinho are slim, with the manager making it clear that Schweinsteiger has no future at United.
'I love standing on the pitch too much to focus on anything else – if I want to be a coach or something,' he added. 'I will travel a lot after my career.'
Borussia Park was emotional as Schweinsteiger waved goodbye to a 12-year career totalling 121 caps.
He could not hold back the tears before kick-off when presented with gifts and addressing supporters and came off during the 2-0 win to a standing ovation.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment