Bastian Schweinsteiger may well feature for Manchester United again this season after he was named in the Reds’ Premier League squad.
The 32-year-old had been deemed surplus to requirements by United manager José Mourinho and forced to train with the Under-23 side at Carrington as the club looked for suitors to take on his reported £200,000-a-week wages.
However, Schweinsteiger has been vocal in his desires to remain at Old Trafford and a move away from Manchester failed to come to fruition as the transfer window slammed shut on Wednesday night.
Mourinho had previously said that it would “very difficult” but not impossible for the midfielder to make another appearance for United and the decision to name him in the Premier League squad indicates that the manager may have softened his stance.
Schweinsteiger bade an emotional farewell to his international career on the same night, leading Germany out for the final time as Die Mannschaft beat Finland 2-0 in Monchengladbach.
He ended his international career with 121 caps and 24 goals for his country, having made his debut for Germany in a friendly against Hungary in June 2004.
Another surprise addition to United’s Premier League squad is right-back Sadiq El-Fitouri. The 21-year-old former Salford City defender was signed after former United players Phil Neville and Paul Scholes recommended him to Warren Joyce.
The Libyan international played 11 times for the Under-21s last season as they retained their Premier League title and has started two out of the first three Under-23 games this season.
UPDATE (September 3): It looks like Schweinsteiger may yet be out-of-favour at Old Trafford because he’s been left out of United’s Europa League squad for the group stages. Premier League rules dictate if there is room in the squad, all players over the age of 21 must be included – that may well be the reason why the German’s been included in the Reds’ Premier League squad.
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