Bastain Closing On Full Fitness

Bastian Schweinsteiger believes he is approaching full fitness as he looks to make a major impact on Manchester United’s season.

The summer buy from Bayern Munich made his debut to a rapturous reception as a second-half substitute against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and was taken aback by the Old Trafford welcome. As the Reds prepare to face Aston Villa on Friday night, the Germany international stressed how he has already been made to feel at home in Manchester.

When asked how he was feeling after the calf niggle during Tour 2015, presented by Aon, he replied: "It’s fine. I had three or four days in America where I had this injury and it was not so good for my rhythm. Now I feel much better and also the game was very important to play 30 minutes. The training sessions are very important for me, too. I’m getting better and I hope I will be 100 per cent fit in the next week."

The ovation that greeted him warming up along the touchline last weekend and then entering the fray in place of Michael Carrick clearly caught him a little off guard.

"It was amazing, really," he told MUTV. "I was surprised and I have to say 'thank you' to all the supporters. It was a great feeling and yes, at the end, we won so it was a good day for us.

"I’d played twice before in the Champions League but this was something new on Saturday. The support is huge; I knew that before I came here and saw it in the USA as we had a lot of supporters there too. It was great and a special day for me on Saturday."

Schweinsteiger’s excellent grasp of English has helped him settle in quickly and he thanked his colleagues for their help at the launch of the club’s new betting partnership with marathonbet.

"It’s getting better and better,” he said. "Everything is something new for me – a new step in my life – and I’m really looking forward to settling in more and more with my team-mates. They are helping me a lot and we do a lot of things together in our free time. My team-mates help me to choose restaurants, for example, and golf courses, something like this. But the most important thing is to be successful this season and to win the matches."