Bastian Schweinsteiger made his 1st start in more than a year and scored this bicycle kick

Published Jan. 29, 2017 2:05 p.m. ET

Aaron West

Bastian Schweinsteiger's been patiently waiting for his chance in the Manchester United first team for over a year now. Even before Jose Mourinho took over, the German legend has been constantly linked to a move away from Old Trafford, suffering through the ignominy of being forced to train with the under-23s, or even by himself.

Still, he's kept his mouth shut like a consummate professional, working as hard as he can on the training ground and off, starring in the odd Clash of Kings commercial, and taking strolls through the woods to clear his mind.

His hard work paid off, and eventually Mourinho brought him back into first-team training late in 2016, letting him see the pitch for the first time in 255 days at the end of November. Now, Mourinho clearly feeling generous and he gave him his first start in 385 days against Wigan. Schweinsteiger then promptly repaid him with a strong performance in midfield, chipping in with an assist, and he even busted out an old-man bicycle kick to get on the scoresheet.

Look at that smile! Schweinsteiger is back, baby!

Kinda. We'll see how long his run in the first team lasts, but for now? Just enjoy the fact that he's not still stuck in Mourinho purgatory.