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Sport

01st Aug 2016

Jose Mourinho takes a leaf out of Louis van Gaal’s book when dealing with Bastian Schweinsteiger

Louis would be proud...

Robert Redmond

Louis van Gaal would approve.

Manchester United’s manager has taken a leaf out his predecessor’s book, and banished an unwanted player from the first-team dressing room, according to The Daily Mail.

Jose Mourinho has reportedly told Bastian Schweinsteiger that he is free to leave the club, and the German midfielder has since cleared out his belongings from the first-team dressing room and moved to the reserve team’s dressing room.

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Schweinsteiger is understood to be training with the U-21 team, and wasn’t part of the first-team squad that played Galatasaray last Saturday in Sweden.

The former Germany captain struggled for form and fitness since joining United from Bayern Munich last summer.

His reported banishment from the first-team mirrors the approach Van Gaal took with Victor Valdes last season. The Spanish goalkeeper was ostracised, made to train with the reserves and left United on-loan before his contract expired earlier this summer.

It appears Mourinho, who worked under Van Gaal at Barcelona, is taking a leaf from the Dutchman’s book.

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