Started from the bottom: Schweini in Europa squad

Matt Stead

Bastian Schweinsteiger has been added to Manchester United’s Europa League squad after fighting his was back from the Old Trafford brink.

Jose Mourinho froze the former Germany captain out of the first team upon arriving in the summer, with the 32-year-old falling so far down the pecking order that United even wrote him off as an asset in their accounts.

However, Schweinsteiger has returned from the cold and, having made two substitute appearances, marked his first United start in more than a year by last weekend scoring in the 4-0 FA Cup fourth-round win against Wigan.

The midfielder’s elevated status has seen him rewarded with a place in the updated squad list sent to UEFA ahead of the resumption of the Europa League against St Etienne this month.

Recent debutant Joel Pereira is also brought in despite reports of a serious knee injury that led to Dean Henderson’s loan at Grimsby being brought to a premature end.

They take the places of Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay who left the club in January.