Bastian Schweinsteiger pays tribute to Louis van Gaal as he looks forward to Jose Mourinho era

You won't hear Bastian Schweinsteiger badmouthing Louis van Gaal.

The recently-dismissed Manchester United boss attracted his fair share of criticism in his final months at Old Trafford, but the German international has spoken of the "special relationship" he shared with the Dutchman. Speaking at a press conference with the German national squad, Schweinsteiger explained that he was thankful to Van Gaal for helping him during his career.

“I think Louis van Gaal and I have a very special relationship. He moved me into the centre of the midfield at Bayern and I’ve got a lot to thank him for. Also, my move to United was because of him. "I will never say any bad words about somebody for whom I have so much to thank.Quite the opposite - even if we were not always of the same opinion, we had a good relationship. I admire him as a coach and despite a difficult season with really much injury misfortune, he still ended it with a good title. "It’s been two years since United last won a title and I think that was a good ending also for him."

Looking ahead to the future, Schweinsteiger added that he and his teammates "don't know" who will be their manager next season (yeah right!) but that if it proves to be Jose Mourinho, a special season lies ahead:

"The enthusiasm for football in Manchester is great and if Mourinho does take over at United, I think all of the players want to train under him so it’s going to be quite a special season."