From our own
Scott in the Mirror....
www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/man-united-bastian-schweinsteiger-transfer-6051703Rival supporters may not understand the giddiness of Manchester United fans, after it was confirmed on Saturday afternoon that Bastian Schweinsteiger would be playing at Old Trafford next season.
Despite a reputation for spending big during the Premier League years, United supporters haven't yet adjusted to seeing their club bring in household names in world football.
Chelsea have signed Europe's elite for over a decade, since the arrival of Roman Abramovic at Stamford Bridge. It comes as no surprise to their fans when their club is linked to one of the best players in the world for their position. Manchester City too, with the likes of Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero, have also dipped in to the top tier of the market.
United, accustomed to buying players when they were still just potentially world class, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney or Rio Ferdinand, changed their transfer strategy when they signed Robin van Persie. Juan Sebastian Verón was a rare moment of indulgence for Sir Alex Ferguson, and youse were idiots if you couldn't recognise his ability, but it certainly wasn't a habit of the Scotsman to sign players who were already so established.
So while the signings of Matteo Darmian, the Italian national team's best player of 2014, and Memphis Depay, the Dutch league's brightest talent of 2014-15, signal the club's intention of buying great prospects, they also fit the bill of a typical United signing.
However, in Bastian Schweinsteiger, United are forgetting about tradition and complying with the latest model, which has seen the likes of Juan Mata, Angel Di Maria, and Radamel Falcao wear their shirt, as if money was no object.
The recent business of United in the David Moyes and Van Gaal era, only serves to prove what a fantastic job Ferguson did. Of the club's all time 10 most expensive players, six have joined since the Scotsman has retired in 2013.
Schweinsteiger won't displace any of them, with his age and contract situation meaning United won't have to break the bank to sign him, but his salary will surely be one of the largest in world football. And he's worth it. In terms of reputation and achievement, he's arguably the best player United have ever signed.
Here is a player who integral to Germany's World Cup win in 2014, and Bayern Munich's repeated success in the Bundesliga and Champions League.
More impressive than that, for United fans at least, is the fact he's a midfielder. After coveting the likes of Michael Ballack, Gennaro Gattuso and Arturo Vidal, in a position that Ferguson regularly opted to fill with former youth team products or largely inadequate players, United can now boast a signing of huge status in world football.
Jamie Carragher claimed that he "couldn't be happier" that United have signed the player who is "past his best", and this is an opinion that plenty of rival supporters are probably airing. While it's fair to say that United fans would be fairly devastated if Liverpool has signed Schweinsteiger, it shouldn't be ignored that this transfer is still arguably five years too late.
Had United brought the midfielder to the club when he was just about to hit his peak, it's fair to say that their trophy cabinet would be even more impressive. Schweinsteiger is likely on the decline and won't boss the games over the next three seasons as well as he did over the last three.
However, the German midfielder gives United experience in the centre of the park, real ability, with a winning mentality and a great working relationship with the manager, Van Gaal. It obviously would have been a more spectacular feat if United had pulled the transfer off earlier, but it's still worthy of celebration amongst the club's supporters.
Remarkably, after the huge outlay last summer and the three players who have been confirmed for this year, United are still a few signings short of having a squad that can seriously compete both domestically and in Europe. But the Schweinsteiger transfer means United are far better equipped to challenge and the German will likely be keen to prove he's anything but past his best. There's a few medals left in him yet, and United fans are desperate for him to win them with their club.
