Ghana international Baba Rahman started his first game at club level in two years as his Schalke 04 side beat lower tier outfit Schweinfurt 2-0 in the German Cup on Friday.

The full-back was handed 90 minutes of game time as the Royal Blues dispatched the Bavarian regional representatives to book a place in the cup competition second round.

A 24th minute Nabil Bentaleb penalty and a 75th minute Adam Jabiri own goal decided the away fixture at Willy-Sachs-Stadion.

It was Baba's maiden line-up appearance since a 2-1 loss to Hamburg in the German Bundesliga in December 2016.

The former Augsburg man's absence was due to a long-term injury picked up while playing for Ghana at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in January.

Originally expected back in action in August that year, a series of relapses kept him away until May this year when he made a 57th minute league appearance against Eintracht Frankfurt on the final day of last season.

Friday's appearance will be a massive boost to the 24-year-old, who is with Schalke on loan from English Premier League club Chelsea.

He will hope to continue his renaissance next Saturday when The Royal Blues play away to Wolfsburg on the opening day of this season's German Bundesliga.

The Tamale-born is, however, unlikely to be seen in Ghana's imminent squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Kenya next month, having stated his desire to cement his place at club level before making a return to national duty.