The former midfielder, Bastian Schweinsteiger, reveals that manager Jose Mourinho excluded him from first-team training sessions during his tenure at Manchester United.
Schweinsteiger, aged 39, featured in 31 matches under Louis van Gaal during the 2015-2016 season.
However, his involvement drastically reduced to just four games under Mourinho in the subsequent season before he departed to join MLS club Chicago Fire in 2017.
“I was very sad because United was the second club of my heart,” Schweinsteiger told the Overlap.
“I gave a lot when I played as well, so that’s why I was sad, but I’m not the type of person to go running to the media. It’s more important for me to focus on football and behave the way I did.”
Schweinsteiger, the former Germany international, was absent for the final 11 matches of the 2015-2016 season due to injury, receiving treatment in Germany ahead of Euro 2016.
Mourinho was appointed as Van Gaal’s successor at United in May 2016.
During Euro 2016, Schweinsteiger participated in six matches as Germany advanced to the semi-finals, causing him to miss the beginning of United’s pre-season in the USA.
“When I arrived on the first day, I trained with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and thought it was great, a player who has the vision and is amazing to play with,” Schweinsteiger said.
“The next day, on my birthday, when I walked into (United’s training ground) Carrington, (football director) John Murtough was there and said that I wasn’t allowed to walk into the dressing room – the coach had said so.
“I had to ask him to bring me my cleats and training gear. I asked him who I was training with, and he said there was the under-16 team, so I went and trained with the under-16s.”
Schweinsteiger’s first appearance of that season came in November 2016 in the Carabao Cup against West Ham. He made a further three appearances across the FA Cup and Europa League prior to moving to the MLS.
“The first time someone apologised was when I decided to leave Manchester United for America,” Schweinsteiger said.
“I asked Jose if I could do that and he apologised for the way he treated me in the beginning. He had to let me go because he could not do something against me again.”
Schweinsteiger concluded his career in 2019 following three seasons spent with Chicago.