Schalke have opened the door for a possible return to the starting XI by Nabil Bentaleb.
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Bentaleb was left out of the squad for Saturday's win against Hoffenheim for what the club called "disciplinary and sporting reasons."
The 23-year-old joined Schalke on a permanent transfer from Spurs last year in a reported €19 million deal after initially moving on loan.
However, following an impressive first season he has made just seven league appearances in a campaign marred by injuries and a conflict with head coach Domenico Tedesco as he has played only seven times in the league.
Tedesco said it was "common knowledge that we've not been happy with Nabil's manner in recent weeks," but speaking after the Hoffenheim match he said: "We are forgiving. We need and we want his quality."
Sporting director Christian Heidel added that Bentaleb must "channel his extreme ambition" and said the club believed he had learned his lessons.
"Nabil wants to play, and will understand it that if he does not change, he will not play," he said. "That's why he'll change."
Last week, Heidel told reporters that "team interest is always above individual interest" and added; "He is not a bad person, but he's over-ambitious. Everything's bad when he's not playing."
