Jose Mourinho has suggested that Bastian Schweinsteiger will feature for Manchester United this weekend.
The German World Cup winning midfielder was frozen-out following Mourinho’s appointment as manager. Schweinsteiger was forced to train with the youth-team and banished from the first-team.
However, the United manager had a change of heart and brought Schweinsteiger back into the first-team squad. The 32-year-old then made a substitute appearance at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup victory over West Ham in November.
Mourinho said in his press conference on Friday that Schweinsteiger is available for United’s FA Cup third round game against Reading at Old Trafford.
“He’s selected again, so he can start, he can be on the bench, but he’s an option for us. I think that’s the best way to describe [him],” the United manager said.
“For many months he wasn’t an option; we made that decision. When we brought him back in the first couple of weeks, he was not an option; he was obviously not ready to compete.
“Since then, he’s been working very well and never an injury – he was ill last week, but never an injury. His body is fine, he’s training very well and he’s ready.
“Again, my approach, which I think is the right one from the human point of view, is that if the player is not playing, I cannot stop him to leave – if the offer is right. Bastian played for us some minutes against West Ham and no more than that, but he wants to stay, he is staying and he is an option.
“Because he’s an option, he’s selected for tomorrow, he was selected for Crystal Palace and he was selected for Middlesbrough. He’s an option, he’s waiting for a chance to play and I think January is a good month for that, with so many matches.”
Schweinsteiger may end up leaving the club this month or in the summer, with MLS a possible destination, but, for now, he’s still a United player and could get a run out against Reading.
There appears to be no chance of either Morgan Schneiderlin or Memphis Depay receiving any playing time before they leave Old Trafford, however.
Mourinho said he will allow both to depart Old Trafford this month if the club’s valuation of each player is met.
That seemingly rules out a loan deal for Depay, and goes against reports claiming that Everton have agreed a fee for Schneiderlin.
“I will allow both of them to leave if the right offer comes. Until this moment, no,” Mourinho said.
“We don’t have any offer that is close to the quality of the players we have.”
“In normal conditions they would probably be selected for the match tomorrow and they aren’t because we are waiting for something that a couple of weeks ago looked like 100 per cent and at the moment looks like zero per cent because we don’t have any offer that is close to the quality for the players we have.”
Depay joined United from PSV Eindhoven in 2015 for £25m. Despite arriving to much fanfare, the Dutch winger failed to consistently deliver, lost his starting place and wasn’t even included in the squad for United’s FA Cup final victory over Crystal Palace last May.
Schneiderlin arrived at Old Trafford in the same summer from Southampton. The 27-year-old cost an initial £24m and made 29 appearances for United last season. Mourinho doesn’t appear to rate him, however, and the French midfielder has only made three Premier League appearances in the current campaign.
