Bastian Schweinsteiger Returns To Manchester United Training

Bastian Schweinsteiger has returned to first-team training with Manchester United, after months of exile from Jose Mourinho's squad.

The former Germany international had been forced to train on his own this season, with Mourinho making it clear that the 32-year-old was not part of his plans.

But Schweinsteiger was spotted back in training with his team-mates on Monday, just days after being left out of the club's squad photograph.

He was pictured smiling during the session with Wayne Rooney, who looked delighted to see his team-mate return to the fold, as well as coming under the watchful eye of Mourinho.

Phil Jones was also back in first-team training after returning for injury, as was the unfancied Henrikh Mkhitaryan, alongside a host of more regular stars.

Whether this will mean a return to the match-day squad for the World Cup winner or not is unknown, but it is a start for Schweinsteiger, who had also trained with the under-23 side this season.

He was a regular member of Louis van Gaal's side last year when fit, although injuries limited the former Bayern Munich man to just 13 Premier League games.

But he is yet to play a single minute under Mourinho, and is expected to leave the club at the end of the season, if not before.

That is despite the fact that United actually perform far better with him in the side than without.

In the 30 games he has missed since signing, under Van Gaal and Mourinho, United have won only 13 games, or 43 per cent, compared to 10 wins in 18 (56 per cent) without him.

The 32-year-old's contract - worth in excess of £130,000 a week - does not run out until the summer of 2018, with United willing to let him go on a free transfer.

Schweinsteiger attended last Wednesday night's EFL Cup win over rivals City and has tweeted messages of support despite being told he has absolutely no future at Old Trafford.

His locker in first team changing room at Carrington has been cleared out and one of the coaches takes him aside each day while he trains on his own.

He remains friendly with a number of the first team players but there it had seemed as though there was no chance that he will play with them again at Manchester United before he returned to training on Monday.

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