Bastian Schweinsteiger will “have to adapt” to the demands of playing for Manchester United in the Premier League according to Jérôme Boateng, his former Bayern Munich team-mate.
Schweinsteiger, who signed for United for £14.4m on Monday, is 30 and injuries have limited him to 82 Bundesliga appearances over the last four seasons.
He was a member of Germany’s triumphant World Cup team at Brazil 2014, along with Boateng who spent the 2010-11 season at Manchester City and the defender said: “Referees will whistle not every foul, almost not any foul to be precise. The game will be faster. Basti has to adapt, but he has the qualities, he will succeed. And he has the personality to influence a match very much.”
Boateng also warned the Germany captain that media criticism in English football is different to that in his homeland. “It will be a little bit harder. He has to be prepared for that. The English supporters are really fair, they will give a nice welcome. I hope it will be a great experience for him and he will grow.”
Boateng added: “Manchester United invest a lot of money, they [have] had a great team so far and I’m sure they are going to challenge.”
