"?Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge believes Manchester United's treatment of Bastian Schweinsteiger is disrespectful to a player of his calibre and insists it could dissuade players from joining the club.
32-year-old Schweinsteiger is reportedly training with the United reserves after being informed by manager José Mourinho that he does not feature in the Portuguese gaffer's plans at Old Trafford.
The German midfielder was not involved in Wayne Rooney's testimonial match against Everton on Wednesday and looks to be on his way out of United after Mourinho's appointment seemingly signalled the end of his Premier League career.
And "?Sky Sports report that Rummenigge is perplexed by the situation, believing a player of Schweinsteiger's quality commands more respect and fairness than he is currently being treated with.
He said: "I could hardly believe it. One or two players are going to think long and hard in future about whether they want to go to such a club.
"Nothing like that has ever happened at Bayern Munich."
Schweinsteiger has bounced back from a similar situation before, however. In 2005, then Bayern boss Felix Magath also forced him to train with the reserves after declaring he could not accommodate the player in his first-team.
But the midfielder knuckled down and helped his side to a league and cup double that season. He hasn't looked back since and has collected eight Bundesliga titles, a Champions League winners medal and seven DFB-Pokals.
He also won the World Cup with Germany in 2014 before retiring from international duty, ironically to prolong his club career at Manchester United where he has so far won one FA Cup.
Fellow German and former Bayern manager Ottmar Hitzfeld has also revealed his disgust for the situation. Der General Hitzfeld gave Schweinsteiger his debut at the age of 18 and won a Bundesliga title with the player in 2013.
He said: "It's a lack of respect for a worthy player, it's a method which is strange to me.
"Schweinsteiger is a key player, a world champion, a personality, while at the same time he has an exceptional attitude."