Rummenigge comes to Schweinsteiger's defense, hits back at Van Gaal

Photo credit: AFP.

Bayern Munich’s chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has criticized Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal over comments he made about the form of Bastian Schweinsteiger.

“I’m a bit disappointed with Louis, he should leave Bastian alone. He was the one who definitely wanted to sign him,” Rummenigge told German magazine Sport Bild.

“Bastian needs a bit of time (to adjust).

“You can’t just give a verdict on him already.”

SEE MORE: Victory in Germany should not save Van Gaal.

Before the start of the season, Schweinsteiger left Bayern after 14 years to join United, where his ex-Munich coach, Van Gaal, wanted Germany’s captain in the Red Devils’ famous shirt.

Rummenigge says Schweinsteiger is adapting to life in the Premer League and “isn’t doing badly” after scoring his first goal for United recently.

“Louis is not known for being the hugely sympathetic type,” added Rummenigge tersely.

But Van Gaal fell offside with the Bayern chairman by saying he has yet to see Schweinsteiger display the type of form he regularly produced in the Bayern shirt.

SEE MORE: FA hands Schweinsteiger handed three-match ban.

“I think he can play even better in every game,” Van Gaal said after Saturday’s goalless draw with West Ham in the Premier League when Schweinsteiger blatantly elbowed the Hammers’ Winston Reid.

“We haven’t seen the best of the Schweinsteiger — the player I saw at Bayern Munich.”

Schweinsteiger will lead Manchester United’s bid to reach the Champions League at Wolfsburg on Tuesday in their final pool game with the victor set to reach the last 16 as group winner.