Bastian Schweinsteiger unlikely to play for Manchester United again this season
Bastian Schweinsteiger is unlikely to don a Manchester United shirt again this season, but Louis van Gaal believes the Germany captain could yet make Euro 2016.
Life since swapping Bayern Munich for Old Trafford has been topsy-turvy for the World Cup winner, with injury restricting him to just 31 appearances.
The last of those came in the derby win at Manchester City before an international break when Schweinsteiger suffered a partial medial collateral ligament tear during training with Germany ahead of the friendly with England.
That blow came having only recently returned from a two-month knee injury, with this current complaint set to rule him out for the rest of United's season if not perhaps this summer's European Championship in France.
"I don't think Schweinsteiger shall play this season - I think, next season, he is prepared," Van Gaal told MUTV.
"Maybe he is prepared for the European Championship, I cannot predict.
"It is possible, but then that is also in our favour because then he is fit for the new competition."
Schweinsteiger is one of few long-term injury concerns Van Gaal still has to contend with, along with Will Keane and Luke Shaw.
The latter has been out since a horrific challenge resulted in a double fracture of his right leg, but the left-back is edging closer to playing his first match since September.
"Shaw is now training on the pitch with the physiotherapist, it's not with a trainer-coach, so that's the difference," Van Gaal said. "But he's going great, it's unbelievable."
Ander Herrera is likely to swell the number of first-team absentees this weekend as assessments continue on the foot injury sustained in the midweek FA Cup quarter-final replay triumph at West Ham.
That match witnessed Wayne Rooney's first-team return from a knee injury and Van Gaal is set to give United's captain another chance to build his fitness when embattled Aston Villa arrive on Saturday.
"(Rooney) always wants to play," Van Gaal said. "Yes, I think he shall receive more minutes but it's always dependable on the game.
"You cannot say in advance that I give you 20 minutes or something like that. When it's possible, I shall do that because we need Wayne in the team."
A home clash with rudderless Villa looks the ideal opportunity for Rooney to gain more minutes and United to build some momentum.
Wednesday's 2-1 win at Upton Park propelled United into the FA Cup semi-finals and was an impressive response to Sunday's 3-0 loss at title-chasing Tottenham.
It leaves them four points off fourth-placed Manchester City - a gap they could bridge only to be denied Champions League football should their near neighbours and Liverpool seal European glory.
A maximum of five teams from one league can qualify for the Champions League, meaning if United's rivals both won their competitions and finished outside the top four then fourth spot would become a Europa League berth.
Such a scenario is not forming part of Van Gaal's thought process right now, though, as he looks to build on a positive midweek performance.
"Consistency is very important, of course," he said. "The players, also the manager and his staff, have been frustrated because we were not consistent this season.
"But there are circumstances that exists (that has made) this situation because when you have to line up every week another team because of injuries, it is difficult to make a consistent team-building process.
"But still we are in the race for the first positions in the league and still we are in the FA Cup so I am very happy that we can do that."
Caretaker boss Eric Black insists Aston Villa will ignore events at Norwich - even though the Canaries could send them down.
Villa will be relegated from the Barclays Premier League before they start at United if Norwich avoid defeat to Sunderland in Saturday's early game.
Even if the Canaries lose, Villa must win at Old Trafford to delay the drop as they are rock bottom and 15 points from safety with five games left.
Saturday is likely to see their ever-present stay in the Premier League end as Villa tumble into the second tier for the first time since 1987.
But Black - who has axed Gabby Agbonlahor from the first team for two weeks and put him on his own fitness programme after declaring he was not fit enough - said he will not focus on the game at Carrow Road.
He said: "I didn't know the Norwich result (last week) until I'd spoken to the players in the dressing room because I wasn't interested. I really wasn't.
"I know people will automatically say: 'You should have been interested because we're going down'. But I was only interested in what we'd done on the Saturday and that will be the same this Saturday, no matter what the (Norwich) result is."
Source: PAR
