Low says Schweinsteiger will remain as Germany captain

Germany coach Joachim Low insists Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger remains his captain, despite criticism from Louis van Gaal.

Van Gaal suggested Schweinsteiger under-performed during his side's Champions League defeat to Wolfsburg on Tuesday evening, resulting in his substitution.

"I have changed him and I don't change players for nothing, (it's because) I think I can do better with other players, but we are all human beings and also Bastian Schweinsteiger is a human being," Van Gaal said after the game.

"He wants to play at the highest level and certainly in Germany to show his qualities, but I cannot say that he was the Schweinsteiger from my period in Munich today."

Low has no doubts about Schweinsteiger however, and insists he will continue to pick him, while trusting him to step up his performances at club level.

"We at the German Football Association know what we are getting with Bastian," Low told the Bild newspaper.

"He's still a world-class player and undisputedly our captain."

According to Low, the 31-year-old former Bayern Munich midfielder still needs time to get used to a different style of play, and a different league having spent all of his career until this summer in the Bundesliga.

"You've got to give even an experienced player like him time to adapt to a new league," Low said. "I am sure that Manchester United are still going to get a lot of joy out of Schweinsteiger."