i believe there is a nice kit for the steering column bearing these days.
in the past or just for a temporary fix many just push it back into place and then use a hose clamp to hold it there.
Yeah, pulling out that steering column is a bite. Mostly due to the knuckle thing that always seems to be tighter than it needs to be.
And the flying flat springy thing.
OH YEAH, I forgot about that. Toughest thing to install on a VW I believe. I may not be able to get one back in with the lack of hand strength these days.