How Jose Mourinho Can Get the Best out of Bastian Schweinsteiger

Bastian Schweinsteiger has played an important cameo role in Germany's Euro 2016 campaign so far, but the mixed results of his first season at Manchester United make it unclear where he will fit into Jose Mourinho's side.

Schweinsteiger was brought on to a rapturous welcome from Germany fans when he came on as a substitute against Ukraine in the 90th minute of their tournament opener. Moments later, he rewarded those supporters for their appreciation with a 92nd-minute goal—a beautiful finish from a Mesut Ozil cross.

Getting into position to score that goal had required the kind of lung-busting run that was a stock in trade for the 31-year-old during his box-to-box prime. It brought to mind the moment he forced Troy Deeney to bundle in an own-goal winner for United against Watford back in November 2015.

However, exuberant bursts of footballing energy and moments of telling impact are hardly what categorised the World Cup winner's debut United season.

Now, Mourinho has a big decision to make about the German's future.

Earning a reported £200,000 per week, per the Daily Star, Schweinsteiger is one of the best-paid players at the club, meaning getting rid of him is probably not an easy option.

He will be 32 by the time next season begins. That is by no means ancient for a footballer, but the last few years have been tough going on his body.

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He missed a significant spell of football last season through injury, which should not come as much of a surprise. Indeed, in August 2015, Pep Guardiola said of his former Bayern Munich charge, per Sky Sports:

"

When he does not have injury problems, I am completely convinced he will do very well at Manchester United.

He is a top, top player. Unfortunately, during the last three years he was never in good condition.

He is going to play really good [at United]. I really hope that is going to happen.

"

That quote could now be updated to read "during the last four years," and that lack of fitness meant the games in which he played "really good" were infrequent. Handled in the right way, though, Schweinsteiger surely still has something to offer.

His early United career saw him take an obvious leadership role within the squad, directing play on the pitch, putting an arm round the shoulder of younger players and demonstrating his quality on the ball.

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It was notable that he would ghost into open space on the left-hand side of United's midfield—with the kind of awareness that separates the best midfielders from their more ordinary colleagues. And against Leicester City and Watford away in particular, he led the charge to ensure one and three points respectively for United.

But that is not enough to justify his status as one of the club's top earners, and it will be intriguing to see whether it is enough to convince Mourinho to make Schweinsteiger a part of his side.

If he does, the midfielder will be one of the two in a 4-2-3-1, as he was for Louis van Gaal. Making that work depends on a level of personal fitness and on whom Mourinho plays alongside him.

Michael Carrick is too similar in terms of physical mobility, and those two surely have to be an either-or choice.

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Morgan Schneiderlin could work in a pair if given a less constrained role than he was under Van Gaal.

The France international was a true box-to-box midfielder at Southampton, joining in attacks as frequently as he protected the defence. Under former United manager Van Gaal, he was clearly expected to sit deep, break up play and recycle possession.

He and Schweinsteiger would frequently both be stationed behind the ball when United were in possession, limiting attacking options.

If Schneiderlin is let loose, then Carrick and Schweinsteiger could alternate alongside the younger man, though the German does not offer the same kind of screen in front of a defence that Carrick does.

Ander Herrera's industrious defensive work and energetic contributions to attack would seem to make him an ideal partner for Schweinsteiger. However, when Van Gaal tried that combination, it was often porous and susceptible to counter-attacks. This was particularly evident early last season when United lost 2-1 away to PSV Eindhoven.

Of course, those are only the existing options. By the time the transfer window shuts, there could be even more competition for places.

And all of this assumes Mourinho will be interested in trying to get the best out the German.

On 28 May, Jason Burt of the Telegraph wrote of Mourinho's methods: "Those at Manchester United will hear it when they arrive for pre-season training: you are either in the boat or off it."

He added:

"

There will be individual meetings with his new squad. Mourinho, early on, likes to see the whites of his players’ eyes. He firstly does this as a group – to see how they respond, who speaks, who is quiet. And then one-on-one in his office in chats that he even refers to as "interviews" as they are his way of finding out more about players, their character and motivation—and how they react to being quizzed by him. Mourinho will invite them to ask their own questions while he makes it clear that he can be "very nasty" as well as a "sweetheart".

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On 22 May, Daniel Taylor of the Guardian wrote: 

"

Schweinsteiger’s form has seldom gone above the six-out-of-10 mark but regularly below and it is not just his ponderous performances that have surprised his team-mates. Schweinsteiger has spent large parts of the season injured and his tendency to return to Germany, flying in and out for United’s matches, has gone down badly, to say the least.

Van Gaal gave Schweinsteiger preferential treatment because he saw him as someone who will carry out his instructions to a tee.

"

It would seem unlikely that Mourinho would be prepared to repeat that "preferential treatment" unless Schweinsteiger is absolutely prepared to "get in the boat." And getting in the boat will mean signing up for Project Mourinho, improving his fitness and lifting his performances well above the six-out-of-10 level of which Taylor wrote.

On the basis of the last few seasons, it is by no means guaranteed that is even possible.

Schweinsteiger was without question one of the finest midfielders of his generation. And in spite of his expensive salary, his relatively reasonable transfer fee (£6.5 million) meant United did not gamble excessively on his acquisition.

And for Van Gaal's United, bringing in an experienced player familiar with the manager's methods to act as a guide for the club's youngsters in particular was an understandable move.

Now, though, Van Gaal's United is consigned to history. Schweinsteiger, brought in for his suitability for one project, may well find himself entirely unsuited to the next.

To get the best out of the German, Mourinho will have to motivate a player who has won everything to fight for a place in a side battling to regain its identity. He will have to manage fitness concerns and find a role in which leadership, footballing nous and quality on the ball are more of a positive than the physical limitations that come with age and injury are a negative.

If he can do it, there is a lot of potential upside, but it seems a major long shot for now.