Manchester United midfielder delighted after making training return

Bastian Schweinsteiger was delighted to return to training with the Manchester United first-team for the first time under Jose Mourinho. The German midfielder had been exiled by the Portuguese coach and was training alone since the season started.

The 31-year-old has not played even a single minute of football this season, and despite returning to training it remains uncertain if Mourinho will give him a recall to the matchday squad. Schweinsteiger was not named in the Europa League squad for the group stage games, but can play in the Premier League if required.

The Bayern Munich legend took to his official Twitter account to express his delight at returning to training with the first-team and also backed United to turn around their form. The team has picked up just three points from a possible 12 in the Premier League, which includes the humiliating 4-0 loss to Chelsea in October.

"Felt great today! Team is in good shape, results will follow!" Schweinsteiger wrote following his training session with the first-team.

Luke Shaw was delighted to see the World Cup winner back in training and revealed he has a big influence on the younger players in the United squad. Schweinsteger's experience at the top level can surely help overturn the Red Devils' poor from in recent weeks, which has seen them fall eight points behind Premier League's leading trio Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

"It's great to see him back. We found out the news a couple of days ago," Shaw said as quoted by BBC Sport.

"He's a big influence in the dressing room and obviously on the pitch, especially for the young players like myself," the England international added.

However, according to the Mirror, despite the first-team training recall, United are still keen on offloading the midfielder at the earliest. Schweinsteiger is contracted to the club until the summer of 2018 and made it clear that he will not play for another club in Europe.

The MLS transfer window opens later in the year, during their off-season, which could provide an opportunity for the midfielder to secure a move in the hope of playing regular football.