When Manchester United first completed the capture of Bastian Schweinsteiger throughout the course of the summer transfer window, many were left undecided on whether or not his signing would eventually prove a successful one.

And whilst a large portion of the 2015/16 campaign has now come and gone for fans of the English top-flight, the general footballing community in this country are seemingly no closer to working out such a proposition. The current season has proven one to forget for the Old Trafford faithful thus far, but the German international himself can’t be held exclusively to blame.

So then, although the 31-year-old midfielder perhaps deserves one whole season to truly make a name for himself in England, was the signing of Bastian Schweinsteiger really such a necessary move for Manchester United last summer?

Well, if the battling midfield enforcer’s prior reputation within the European scene was to prove anything to go by at the start of the season, Schweinsteiger’s hotly coveted switch to Old Trafford seemed to go down as a no-brainer on the surface.

[ffc-gal cat="manchester-united" no="5"]

He was linking up with his former boss in the shape of Louis van Gaal, the former Bundesliga favourite had won everything on offer with Bayern Munich throughout his career – and as the Germans haven’t exactly faltered on the international scene as of late, the 2014 World Cup winner certainly represented a decent all-round package.

During his successful stint at the Allianz Arena, Schweinsteiger famously made the switch from an out-in-out pacey wide-man, into a no-nonsense box-to-box master of the modern era.

Both domestically and in the impressive German national outfit, the 31-year-old had defined himself as one of the best commanders of the game.

However, as such a reputation was built up before Bastian Schweinsteiger fell victim to a succession of testing injury complaints throughout the 2014/15 campaign, maybe Man United should have considered his signing a little more carefully before going official last summer.

In reality, this talented German international no longer resembles the effective asset he once proved to be. Although all the intelligence and know-how is obviously still in place for the midfielder, Schweinsteiger arguably doesn’t have the legs to make it in the Premier League nowadays, no matter how much invaluable experience he has.

Had the Red Devils still possessed enough genuine world class quality within their ranks to actually challenge for the title once again this season, the former Bayern Munich star would have likely slotted in far more successfully.

WANT MORE? >> Man United transfer news | Latest transfer news

Among a side already brimming with excitement from all over the pitch, Schweinsteiger’s undoubted talent with the ball at his feet would nonetheless come to forefront, leaving others to make the gut-busting runs ahead of him inside the final third.  As Manchester United have ultimately proven anything but exciting under Louis van Gaal so far this term however, the midfielder simply hasn’t stood out as much as many Red Devils fans initially hoped.

Although he has always maintained an admirable level of performance at Old Trafford this term, the club really needn’t have signed both Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin last summer, especially as both Michael Carrick and Daley Blind have had their own individual roles to play for the Red Devils this season, too.

In the end, Schweinsteiger still represents a top player who can easily affect matches in a positive manner – he just isn’t the untouchable world class asset he once successfully proved to be in Germany.

He may not have set Manchester United back a great deal financially, and his relevant experience inside the Old Trafford dressing room obviously remains important, but as Louis van Gaal simply didn’t need yet another defensively minded midfielder on board this season, maybe the Red Devils should have ultimately looked past the exploits of Bastian Schweinsteiger after all.

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