Schweinsteiger ready to play regular role at United

Bastian Schweinsteiger hopes to be fully fit in time for Manchester United's return to the UEFA Champions League after shrugging off a calf injury.

The World Cup winner made his competitive debut for United in Saturday's 1-0 win over Tottenham at Old Trafford, the Germany international given the final 30 minutes to help build up his fitness.

Schweinsteiger's preparations for the new season were interrupted soon after signing from Bayern Munich as he picked up the problem during their pre-season tour.

However, the 31-year-old believes he is nearing full fitness - something Pep Guardiola suggested had been eluding him for the past three seasons at Bayern - just in time for United's clash with Club Brugge on August 18.

"It's fine," he told MUTV when asked about his calf. "I had three or four days in America where I had this injury and it was not so good for my rhythm. 

"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."