Jordi Osei-Tutu finally played his first competitive minutes for VfL Bochum under new head coach Thomas Reis on Tuesday, against Bayern Munich of all teams.

Osei-Tutu is on loan with Bochum for the season, and at first it seemed as though he would be playing fairly regularly. The Arsenal right-back featured in all four of his temporary side’s opening league games, but then manager Robin Dutt was sacked.

Osei-Tutu made a start under the caretaker manager in the next game, but when the club appointed Thomas Reis permanently the defender dropped out of the team.

The 20-year-old sat on the bench for the next five games, before being left out of the squad completely in their last league match. Sources around the club had even suggested to Daily Cannon that the right-back might be set for a recall in January.

The first signs of potential change showed themselves on Tuesday though, as Osei-Tutu came off the bench in a cup game against Bayern Munich. He only spent 12 minutes on the pitch,  making four touches, and he couldn’t prevent Bochum slipping to a 2-1 defeat. All the same, it’s a step in the right direction to at least get his first minutes under Reis.

Whether it was a token gesture to throw Osei-Tutu on in the final minutes of a cup game, or whether it’s the first appearance of many in the coming months, it’s hard to say at this point.