Bastian Schweinsteiger’s sensational turnaround at Manchester United is now complete.
The German was told he had no future at the club earlier this season but, against West Ham in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, he made his return with four minutes remaining.
A cameo appearance it might have been, but the reception Schweinsteiger received upon his introduction said it all about how he’s been missed.
Months of hard work has paid off for the 32-year-old, who was relegated to training with the Under-23s in August and later ordered to train alone.
A shock return to first-team training in November then sparked rumours of a comeback and, credit where it’s due, Jose Mourinho rewarded his perseverance with a return to competitive football.
Questions are now being raised over Schweinsteiger’s future: will Mourinho keep the experienced midfielder, or will he find him a new club in the January transfer window as planned?
That remains to be seen but, when asked whether Schweinsteiger could stay beyond January in Friday’s press conference, Mourinho gave a promising response.
“Of course he can,” the Portuguese replied, per the Times’ Paul Hirst. “When you have a contract with the club, you are the powerful one.
“You are the one that can decide your future. In the summer we tried to make something for Bastian but he was the powerful one, he decided to stay.”
He added: “[Schweinsteiger] worked for that and he deserved that little happiness he got from the last match.
“In January he will be the powerful one, and probably with better feelings than before now he is working with the team.
“He understands our dynamic and philosophy. You can see the happiness he showed the other day. He is so happy and so proud with his efforts and determination.”
Schweinsteiger will only hope his four minutes against West Ham is just the beginning, given the former Germany international’s dream has long been to play for United.
“New York is a great city,” he said in September, “but I have a contract with United until 2018 and you know what the atmosphere is like at Old Trafford and it’s my dream to run out there again.
“I listen to myself, listen to my heart. Of course I speak to others, but I make the decision.
“I’m not a big planner, I decide by intuition. I hope that I get the chance there to help the team. If it doesn’t happen we’ll have to see.”
It’s good to have you back, Basti.