There was a feeling of sadness and regret amongst Manchester United fans when Bastian Schweinsteiger left the club in 2017.

The German arrived as one of the world's finest midfielders and just a year after lifting the World Cup, but he never hit the heights expected of him at Old Trafford. Furthermore, the arrival of Jose Mourinho all but ended his time in England with a jarring exile from the first-team.

He made just four appearances in his second season at the club before joining Chicago Fire to see out his career in the MLS.

Nevertheless, Schweinsteiger still won over the heart of Untied fans with his admirable support for the Red Devils even when he was training by himself or with the reserves.

Even Mourinho himself admitted to a little regret once the 33-year-old departed, stating: “The last thing I told him before he left: ‘I was not right with you once, I have to be right with you now.’ So when he was asking me to let him leave I had to say ‘yes’ you can leave because I did it once, I cannot do it twice.

Love for Schweinsteiger at Manchester United

"So I feel sorry for the first period with him, he knows that. I am happy that he knows because I told him. I will miss a good guy, a good professional, a good influence in training – a very good influence.”

And now his first manger at Old Trafford - Louis van Gaal - has given his own verdict on Schweinsteiger's time at the club in a recent interview with SportBild.

Both in his praise and criticism of the German, he is absolutely spot on.

Van Gaal sums up Schweinsteiger's Man Utd spell perfectly

Van Gaal explained: "Schweinsteiger was older, of course, but not too old. Still, his body was not able to keep up with the high demands of Premier League.

"Bayern sold him to us as fit player, but, in reality, physically he had reached the end.

"How Mourinho treated him after me, Schweini did not deserve this. But it also explains how things were with Schweinsteiger.

"It's a shame because he is a player like Luis Enrique, Mark van Bommel or Philipp Lahm, a character always present on the pitch."

Too right, Louis. Schweinsteiger was an absolute warrior in his prime but trying his hand at the Premier League when you're declining physically was always going to be a recipe for disaster.

Strikers and centre-backs may be able to pull it off, yet even some of the greats can't cope with the flying tackles of Premier League midfields in their later years.

Do you think Man Utd were right to sign Schweinsteiger? Have your say in the comments section below.