Bastian Schweinsteiger: I'm fit for Manchester United trip to Villa

Schweinsteiger made his debut as a substitute in the second half of United's 1-0 win over Tottenham at Old Trafford.

The Germany midfielder had been struggling with a calf injury during his club's pre-season tour of the USA after his £10m transfer from Bayern Munich.

"It’s fine. I had three or four days in America where I had this injury and it was not so good for my rhythm," he said.

"Now I feel much better and also the game was very important to play 30 minutes.

"The training sessions are very important for me, too. I’m getting better and I hope I will be 100 per cent fit in the next week."

Schweinsteiger also praised the reception he received from the fans after becoming the first German international to turn out for United's first team at Old Trafford.

"It was amazing, really," he told United's official website.

"I was surprised and I have to say 'thank you' to all the supporters. It was a great feeling and yes, at the end, we won so it was a good day for us.

"I’d played twice before in the Champions League, but this was something new on Saturday. The support is huge; I knew that before I came here and saw it in the USA as we had a lot of supporters there too. It was great and a special day for me on Saturday."

Schweinsteiger was brught to add experience to United's squad. Bayern coach Pep Guardiola recently claimed that he has not been in peak condition in Munich over the past three years. In such a respect, it will be interesting to see if he can bring the level of drive and purpose to United that he was recruited for. There is no doubting Schweinsteiger's class. The main concern is over the state of body and mind. The need to prove himself begins at Villa Park on Friday night.