Schweinsteiger is back in business

BACK IN TRAINING . . . United's Bastian Schweinsteiger

JOSE Mourinho has ended Bastian Schweinsteiger's exile from the Manchester United first team as it was the right thing to do on both a human and professional level.

It had looked like the 32-year-old midfielder would never play for United again having been frozen out by the Portuguese after succeeding Louis van Gaal.

Schweinsteiger's stock plummeted so far that United even had to write him off as an asset in the club accounts given he was "no longer considered to be a member of the first-team playing squad".

It was therefore quite a surprise to see the former Germany captain training with the first team on Monday, featuring prominently in a series of images shared by the club.

The decision has been widely welcomed, with Mourinho highlighting squad preparation as key as well as the chance for Schweinsteiger to build fitness should he decide to depart.

"Schweinsteiger is back," Mourinho said.

DECISION

"We made that decision last Thursday and informed him on Friday, so he would join the team on Monday.

"It's a decision based on the fact that we are in a period in the season where it's really difficult to train with everybody together.

"So the problem of tactical work like I do with 21 players, 23-24 max, that doesn't happen because the day after we play the players that played train in a separate group so the group becomes 13 or 14.

"It's a human decision based on the training numbers and the training methods, but it's also a decision that can be positive for the group."

Schweinsteiger isn't in United's squad for tonight's Europa League tie at Fenerbahce - neither are injured trio Chris Smalling, Michael Carrick and Memphis Depay - but utility man Phil Jones is.

Jones, back from a knee injury, was part of the 21-man travelling party 10 months after his last competitive appearance, as were Anthony Martial, Tim Fosu-Mensah and Henrikh Mkhitaryan having missed recent squads.

Squad -

De Gea, Romero, Johnstone, Blind, Jones, Darmian, Fosu-Mensah, Rojo, Shaw, Fellaini, Herrera, Mkhitaryan, Lingard, Mata, Pogba, Schneiderlin, Young, Ibrahimovic, Martial, Rashford, Rooney.