Well at least they had been on a job share, up until their 3-0 defeat to Arsenal at the weekend. For some unknown reason Schweinsteiger and Carrick started the game together, despite possessing the exact same attributes.

Furthermore both players are the wrong side of 30, and therefore are not as quick off the mark as they used to be. For 90 long minutes both players struggled to contain Arsenal’s pacey attack.

As a result I can only assume that Schweinsteiger was signed last summer to partake in a job share with Michael Carrick. Both players are vastly experienced, which makes them one of only a few leaders in the United dressing room at the moment. Carrick has occupied the deep lying midfield role for many seasons now, so it must have seemed odd to him when Schweinsteiger was brought in.

Morgan Schneiderlin was an acquisition that made far more sense for United. At 25 the Frenchman still has his best years ahead of him. It would surely be more effective to partner Schneiderlin with Schweinsteiger or Carrick, due to the extra pace and agility he would give United’s central midfield.

As a result Louis van Gaal finds himself in a predicament. Does he play Schneiderlin and risk upsetting a major authority in the united dressing room in Schweinsteiger or Carrick, or does he play them both, and risk further defeats in the same fashion to Arsenal last weekend?

It is very possible that Schweinsteiger was singed just so Louis van Gaal could have an extra friendly face in the squad. Van Gaal’s footballing philosophy has been undermined several times since his arrival at Man United, therefore to have someone like Schweinsteiger on his side will be vital within the dressing room politics.

World Cup winner Schweinsteiger may strut and pose like the midfield maestro he used to be, although the sad reality is he can no longer keep up with the pace of the Premier League or Bundesliga. The real loser here is Michael Carrick, a player who has been one of the few shining lights during United’s dark age. The England international is surely second favourite to Schweinsteiger in van Gaal’s eyes, a judgment that could only have been reached by the Dutchman’s partiality towards a player whom he knew in their better years.

Maybe Schweinsteiger and van Gaal believe they can recreate their success at Bayern Munich with Man United, although they would be guilty of living in the past if this were true. In a squad so bereft of depth it is bizarre to me that van Gaal would sign Schweinsteiger when United already have Carrick.

Unfortunately job sharing is a luxury the Red Devils cannot afford at the moment.

[ad_pod id='writeforus' align='center']