Friday 31 March 2017 22:07, UK
Jose Mourinho admits he regrets the way he treated Bastian Schweinsteiger at Manchester United and revealed he apologised to the German before his move to Chicago Fire.
The 32-year-old completed his switch to Chicago earlier this week after being restricted to four appearances and one start at United under Mourinho this season.
Schweinsteiger was forced to train apart from the first team until November and was written off as an asset by United in the club's accounts before eventually earning a recall.
With nine games in April and a number of injuries and suspensions, Mourinho could have used Schweinsteiger between now and the end of the season.
However, he felt he could not stand in the way of him leaving given how he treated the former World Cup winner earlier in the season.
"He's in the category of players that I feel sorry for something that I did to him," Mourinho said.
"I don't want to speak about him as a player, I don't want to speak as I buy or not to buy. I want to speak about him as a professional, as a human being.
"The last thing I told him before he left 'I was not right with you once, I have to be right with you now'.
"So when he was asking me to let him leave, I had to say 'yes, you can leave' because I did it once, I cannot do it twice.
"So I feel sorry for the first period with him, he knows that. I am happy that he knows because I told him.
"I will miss a good guy, a good professional, a good influence in training - a very good influence.
"I could not stop him to go even knowing that until the end of the season we have so many matches and we would probably need him for a few matches or a few periods.
"I had to let him go and now publicly wish him and his wife a very happy life in Chicago."
Asked if he regrets the way he treated him, Mourinho said: "Yeah, I do."
