Legends Evaluate New Signings

Manchester United's new signings Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin will give Louis van Gaal a nice selection headache in midfield, according to MUTV pundits Paddy Crerand and Sammy McIlroy.

Following a string of injuries during the 2014/15 campaign, van Gaal was left with limited options in the middle of the park at times, a problem that Crerand believes has now been solved.

Speaking during The Paddy Crerand Show, the club legend said: “We’ve been talking about it all week, and, when you’re in Manchester, people always say to you: ‘Who are we signing?’ or ‘Why are they not signing?’ We’ve done it all now and I think we’ve made some fantastic additions.

"The question from a lot of United fans over the last few years has been whether or not we would sign a midfield player, and now we’ve got a lot of class in there. It’s a terrific problem to have. We’ve been wondering for a while who’s going to play in the middle of the park. We’ve had situations where we’ve had to play full-backs in there."

Crerand's views were echoed by McIlroy, who added: "They’ve got experience as well. Schweinsteiger has great experience in Europe, but Schneiderlin is a player who really impresses me because I think he’s done well on the occasions that he’s played against United. He’s a big, strong, physical player who can run box-to-box and get a goal – I think he’ll fit in really well.

"Schweinsteiger didn’t play a lot of football at Bayern Munich last season, although I know he was injured. He’s a legend at Bayern and, on the plus side, our manager knows a lot about him. He knows him inside out, which is a good thing.

"You look at the Michael Carrick situation as well, he’s a terrific player and we’ve missed him. He’s 33 now, but I think he’s still an important part of our plans. You’ve got Schneiderlin, Juan Mata, Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini in there too. The manager’s got a problem already to get that sorted out, but that’s what he’s paid to do.

"Having more games this season will help the players, and the manager will be able to mix and match. I think the best thing about the two midfield signings is their physical presence, they won’t be bullied."