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Germany coach hits back at Man Utd boss Louis van Gaal over Bastian Schweinsteiger
BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER will remain Germany's captain for Euro 2016 despite a string of below-par performances at Manchester United, Joachim Low insists.
Joachim Low (right) says Bastian Schweinsteiger will only get better at Manchester United
Schweinsteiger, 31, has struggled for consistency in a United shirt since him £10million transfer from Bayern Munich in the summer.
Louis van Gaal criticised the World Cup winner after United lost 3-2 in Wolfsburg on Tuesday to crash out of the Champions League.
"I cannot say that he was the Schweinsteiger from my period in (Bayern) Munich in this game," Van Gaal said.
"I took him off and I don't take players off for nothing, but we are all human beings and so is Bastian Schweinsteiger.
"He wants to play at the highest level, especially in Germany, to show his qualities, but I can't say he was the Bastian Schweinsteiger I saw during my Bayern Munich days."
Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge rounded on Van Gaal after the Dutchman's comments - and now Germany head coach Low has also come to the midfielder's defence.
"We at the German Football Association know what we are getting with Bastian," Low told newspaper Bild.
Van Gaal: I cannot defend myself
"He's still a world-class player and undisputedly our captain."
"You've got to give even an experienced player like him time to adapt to a new league.
"I am sure that Manchester United are still going to get a lot of joy out of Schweinsteiger."
Schweinsteiger has made 26 appearances for club and country this season, scoring once.
He has started United's last seven games but faces a three-match ban if found guilty by the FA of an alleged elbow on West Ham's Winston Reid.
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