Bastian Schweinsteiger returned to Manchester United first team training on Monday, suggesting Jose Mourinho has softened his stance on the former Germany captain.
Ostracised all season, maybe Mourinho has realised it may not be a bad idea to have Schweinsteiger rotate some sort of role with Carrick, giving Manchester United’s midfield the experience, class, and composure it often looks to lack.
Whatever the reason, it was a clear suggestion there may yet be peace in our time. And such a big turn of events wouldn’t be too much of a shock. If Mourinho feels he may be able to take praise for the rebirth of Schweinsteiger, despite killing the player himself, then that could be tempting.
However, Bayern Munich’s Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has taken the opportunity to speak to Germany’s Bild and heavily hint a January transfer is what’s needed: “I wish that when the transfer market opens in January, he will find a solution.”
It’s maybe not the best time for Rummenigge to yet again speak about the issue, but then the Bayern Munich boss does seem to have a huge desire to speak about Manchester United repeatedly, and has done for some time. There appears to be a chip on a shoulder.
What may be worth considering is a Bild report from August, which said Mourinho actually likes the player, but had been instructed at club level to push the Schweinsteiger out for a transfer, to balance off the wage packages handed out to new signings, with Paul Pogba specifically mentioned.
Now it’s abundantly clear that Schweinsteiger isn’t going anywhere for a while, and isn’t going to walk away from his contract, as Manchester United may have expected, then it could be a case of everyone involved feeling Mourinho might as well use him.
