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Jose Mourinho has opened the door for Bastian Schweinsteiger to remain at Manchester United beyond the January transfer window after praising the German's determination to prove a point at Old Trafford. Schweinsteiger, 32, was told to look for a new club following Mourinho's arrival during the summer and left to train with the reserves after the United manager made clear that he would not feature in his first-team plans. United even went to the lengths of writing off the former Bayern Munich player in their annual accounts due to Mourinho's insistence that he would not play for the club again. However, after bringing Schweinsteiger back into the fold last month, Mourinho then saw the player return to action for 10 minutes as a substitute in the 4-1 EFL Cup against West Ham United. And speaking at his weekly press conference, Mourinho admitted that Schweinsteiger could now see out the season at United. "Of course he can stay beyond January," Mourinho said. "If you have a contract with the club, you are a powerful one to decide your future. "In the summer, we tried to make something happen to get him a different future, but he decided to stay in difficult circumstances. He worked for that and he deserved that bit of happiness for the last match. "In January, he will be the powerful one again, but maybe he will be happier because he is playing. You can see the happiness is from somebody who is so happy and proud with his efforts and determination. I am always with people with determination." Schweinsteiger's return to action saw him receive a standing ovation from United supporters, 255 days after his last appearance for the club. And Mourinho said he was happy with the reception given to the former Germany captain. "Everybody was happy," Mourinho said. "When he was not training with the team, he did it in a professional way. "It was a struggle for him initially when he came back to the squad because it was not easy, but he did it without injuries and the need to stop, so worked continually for a month. "He can help, during the season you have injuries and suspensions -- Pogba and Fellaini were suspended against West Ham. "He was ready, he played 10 minutes, but if he was needed before, he was ready. His future is about this. He is another in the squad who is working towards more chances."
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