Bastian: United Can Win Trophies This Season

Having assessed the quality and potential of his new Manchester United team-mates, summer signing Bastian Schweinsteiger is confident of "winning titles" during his first season under the management of Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford.

In the second part of our exclusive interview with the German World Cup-winner, Schweinsteiger also pays tribute to club legends Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, two of his football idols, before explaining why the prospect of playing alongside Wayne Rooney partly convinced him to join the Reds…

Now that you've trained for a week, how do you assess the quality of this squad?
I have to say the quality is huge. I am sure with this team, it is possible to win titles and after a week I can say that. We have a good defence, we have good defensive players, and we have quality players who can make the difference in high-level matches. There are some guys who will come later, so I think this team has a lot of possibilities and qualities.

Wayne Rooney has been full of praise for you. Are you excited to play with him this season?
Absolutely, for me it's a big honour to play with him in the same team. He is a leader, you can see that. He is a fighter, he is a striker, he is everything. I know that. It was also a reason to come here, to play with this kind of player.

We have seen that you are quite active on social media, which is great for fans. Is that important to you?
Yes, I think so. It is important for the supporters and, of course, I prefer to put on pictures from sport and not so much from my private life, but I think it is very important for the supporters, yes.

You posted a photo on Twitter with Ryan Giggs, who you once played against in the Champions League with Bayern Munich. You must be delighted to be working with him...
Honestly, my brother is a huge fan of Ryan Giggs. When we played two years ago, with Bayern against Manchester United at Old Trafford, at half-time I asked for his jersey for my brother because he is a huge fan. But of course I saw him playing beforehand and then we finally played against each other. He is a legend of Manchester United.

And finally, are we right in thinking Paul Scholes is another of your idols?
I have some players who I was always looking for, to see how they were playing, and of course Scholes was one of them. I like his kind of style, how he played and it was also nice to see him once in Munich when there was an all-star game between Bayern Munich and Manchester United. I took his shirt on that occasion but that one was for me! It is at my house in Munich. Not in Manchester, because I do not have a home in Manchester yet!

Credit: Manutd.com