Baba Rahman made his first competitive start in 605 days on Friday night when Schalke beat Schweinfurt 2-0 in the DFB Pokal first round match.

The 24-year-old has made a full recovery from a serious knee injury he sustained while playing for Ghana at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

Baba’s injury complications saw him return to Schalke on loan from English giants Chelsea.

The left-back seems primed for the new season having come through a hectic pre-season schedule unscathed.

He played the entire duration as Schalke progressed to the next stage of the cup competition with a 2-0 win away to Schweinfurt.

Goals from Nabil Bentaleb and and own goal by Adam Jabiri in either half proved just enough for Domenico Tedessco’s side to begin their new season on a flying note.

Schalke will now turn their focus on their first league match on August 25 away to Wolfsburg.