Bastian Schweinsteiger: Man Utd Midfielder Returns To First-Team Training

Bastian Schweinsteiger has returned to training with Manchester United’s first team.

Bastian Schweinsteiger: Man Utd Midfielder Returns To First-Team Training

The 32-year-old German midfielder had trained alone or with the team’s under-23s since Jose Mourinho was named United boss this summer.

Former Germany captain Schweinsteiger, who was part of the World Cup-winning squad in 2014, last played for the Red Devils in March, when Louis van Gaal was manager. He stated in August he had “no personal problems” with Mourinho, and United will be his last club in Europe.

“It’s great to see him back,” said United left-back Luke Shaw. “We found out the news a couple of days ago. He’s a big influence in the dressing room and obviously on the pitch, especially for the young players like myself.”

It remains unclear whether Mourinho will now consider Schweinsteiger for first-team action. He was named in United’s Premier League squad for this season, but left out of their Europa League squad.

Schweinsteiger has made 31 appearances for the Premier League club since his £14.4 million ($17.63 million) move from Bayern Munich in July 2015.

Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has urged the German to leave United, despite his return to first-team training on Monday. Rummenigge, who had been strongly critical of Mourinho’s decision to demote the player in August, told Bild: “My wish for him is that he finds a solution once the transfer window opens in January.”

Rummenigge again questioned Mourinho’s handling of the situation, saying: “It’s difficult to manage a generation change but, nevertheless, you have to do it with tact.”

Schweinsteiger tweeted out the following on Monday:

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was also involved in training on Monday, despite a report in the Daily Mail stating that the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder had trained alone on Saturday.

The Manchester Evening News has since reported that Mkhitaryan had trained alone out of choice after missing out on a spot in the squad for Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Burnley, and that he hopes to convince Mourinho to bring him back to United.

United will next visit Turkish club Fenerbahçe in a UEFA Europa League Group stage match on Thursday.

MARSEILLE, FRANCE – JULY 07: Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany controls the ball during the UEFA EURO semi final match between Germany and France at Stade Velodrome on July 7, 2016 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)