After months in the Cheshire wilderness, German great Bastian Schweinsteiger is back in training with the first team at Manchester United's Carrington (AON) Complex.
The 32-year old has been forced to train on his own in the past, and has been banished to the reserves – a move that drew widespread criticism from all corners (incl. Bayern legend Karl-Heinze Rumminegge)
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After drawing even more ire (if that was even possible) for telling Schweinsteiger not to train with the reserves, it appears that it was not the final cutting of ties that many made out to be.
In a move that would make a lot of United fans happy – considering just how popular a figure the Bavarian is – he was pictured today training with the United first team. Wayne Rooney, in particular, seemed very pleased with the return of his fellow veteran.
While it may not mean that he starts for United, it is certainly an upgrade from the treatment he had received from Mourinho early in the season.
The veteran, one of several marquee signing by Ed Woodward, was a regular in Louis Van Gaal's side, but injuries curtailed his appearances to 13 in the league and 8 in Europe. He may have scored only one goal, and looked rusty on more than one occasion, but he was beginning to show signs that he would start purring as well as the midfield commander of old that he was.
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He is yet to play a single minute under the new boss, though, and was widely expected to leave as soon as he could – in search of first team football. Hell, even his locker room at Carrington had been cleared out.
Currently, the German is drawing a £130,000 per week while being ostracized, and his contract runs until the summer of 2018.
But despite the negatives (which include being told he has no future at Old Trafford), Schweinsteiger has remained positive – attending the mid-week derby against City in the EFL Cup, tweeting positive messages and remaining close friends with his teammates (if the smiles on the faces of the team on seeing his return to training is any indication).
If this new development is any indication. we may not yet have seen the last of Bastian Schweinsteiger in the famous red of Manchester United.
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