Manchester United: LVG anoints Bastian Schweinsteiger as the Red Devils' new leader

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has labeled Bastian Schweinsteger as the leader of the Red Devils following his arrival from Bayern Munich this summer. The Dutch manager believes that the World Cup winner brings composure to the team, which has a good balance between youth and experience.

The former Bayern manager revealed that it was one of the reasons he signed such an experienced player, who has been playing at the top level for over a decade, winning the Bundesliga, the Champions League and most recently the World Cup. The manager has revealed that Schweinsteiger is also a very influential player off the pitch, and an example for the younger players to follow.

"He was my former captain with Philipp Lahm at Bayern Munich so I think that he is also very worthwhile off the pitch," Van Gaal said, as quoted on United's official site.

"You can see it already now because he is already accepted as a leading player, and that is why also we have bought him from Bayern Munich. I believe in the mixture between youth and older players. He is an example for the younger players to follow so I am very happy with him," the Dutchman added.

The 20-times English champions are currently top of the Premier League table with 16 points, whereas after seven games last season they were on seventh spot with half the points. Van Gaal admits that his team does need to improve to challenge for trophies in England and Europe, but is confident that his players have better balance and maturity to reach the level required to compete for trophies on a regular basis.

"We have made progression in the maturity of the team, the balance of the team and that's also why Bastian Schweinsteiger is here. Morgan Schneiderlin also gives more composure to the team."

"That is what we have improved when we compare with the team of last year. We still have to improve to win the Premier League and the Champions League, but we are improving every week," the Dutchman added.