Has Jose Mourinho made a sensational U-turn over Bastian Schweinsteiger as he makes shock return to Manchester United training?
Desperate times call for desperate measures - and it looks like the United boss has turned to the banished midfielder to help turn around Mourinho's Manchester nightmare
MANCHESTER UNITED outcast Bastian Schweinsteiger trained with the first team this morning despite Jose Mourinho confirming the 32-year-old will never play for the club again - not even the reserves.
The German was omitted from the 25-man Europa League squad and the club's team photograph in recent weeks but it appears Mourinho has made a desperate U-turn over the midfielder's future at the club.
Old Trafford reserve team manager Warren Joyce recently asked for permission to play the unwanted German, who is earning a staggering £170,000-a-week, in the Under-23 Premier League.
But the reports claimed his request was knocked back by Mourinho, who refused to allow him to play for ANY United side at ANY level.
Forgotten man Phil Jones also made a shock return to training after suffering a knee injury ligament injury which has kept him out of the United side since Mourinho's arrival.
The 24-year-old England defender has struggled for fitness and featured in just 13 games in 2015/16.
Mourinho has lost the services of Eric Bailly for at least two months after he picked up a knee injury in the thrashing defeat to Chelsea so the timing of Jones' return may have handed the United a boss a defensive lifeline.
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Birthday boy Marcus Rashford, who turns 19 today looked in high spirits as he headed out to the first team training pitches at Carrington with youngster Sam Johnstone.
Former Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer says it's about time Mourinho played the England starlet alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
"He looked better when Rashford went up front with him in the second-half. It added more pace to the game," Shearer explained on Match of the Day.
"Ibrahimovic has never been blessed with great pace, but when you get to your thirties, you lose a yard of pace. Craig Bellamy came to help me at Newcastle with his pace.
"I feel as though that's what Manchester United need, to have him up front along with Rashford to ask more questions going in behind rather than facing up all the time."