The decision to re-instate Bastian Schweinsteiger into the Manchester United first team for training is reportedly to get him fit for a January exit.
The veteran midfielder was seen with his senior teammates at training on Monday morning, much to the joy of United fans who wanted to see him return.
However, that joy appears set to be short-lived as The Independent claim that the reason behind the decision was to ensure that Schweinsteiger is fully fit in order to be offloaded in January with a move to MLS being touted.
As noted in the report, the former Germany international had been made to train alone prior to this week having been frozen out by Jose Mourinho since his arrival in the summer.
His return was seen as a possible change in course, but essentially it’s reported that Schweinsteiger is unlikely to play for United again and is just being allowed to pick up his fitness before moving on in the New Year.
It’s added that Mourinho is keen to get rid of the midfielder’s £130,000-a-week salary, despite the fact that he has remained professional throughout the saga so far this season and could in fact be a welcome addition to the first team given their troubles in midfield.
With Paul Pogba struggling to find the right balance with several different teammates lining up alongside him in midfield so far this season, it has led to question marks over why Schweinsteiger isn’t given a chance.
While it appeared as though he finally might, the latest reports suggest that perhaps it was nothing more than a false dawn.