Former Bayern Munich captain Stefan Effenberg believes Bastian Schweinsteiger can be "worth his weight in gold" to Manchester United after scoring on his first start of the season at the weekend.
Schweinsteiger, 32, was hailed as "the ultimate professional" by ex-Bayern coach Louis van Gaal when he signed for United in the summer of 2015.
But Schweinsteiger has found himself on the fringes under new boss Jose Mourinho, who banished the 2014 World Cup winner to train with the youth team earlier in the campaign.
The midfielder returned to first-team training at the end of October but is still to make a Premier League appearance under Mourinho.
"His experience is unquestionable," Effenberg told Sky Sports News Deutschland.
"It's an enormous advantage. You can always bring him into the side at any stage like Mourinho has done and Schweinsteiger's repaid that."
Restricted to a handful of appearances for United in cup competitions, Schweinsteiger gave an impressive performance on his first start of the season on Sunday -- with a goal and an assist as United eased past Championship side Wigan 4-0 in the FA Cup fourth round.
And Effenberg, Bayern's Champions League-winning captain in 2001, believes Schweinsteiger still has plenty to offer at the highest level.
Effenberg said: "It was important for him during the time he wasn't playing to always offer his services and train well.
"You can really see Schweinsteiger's value now. With little game time, he'll immediately be at 100 percent when he's got his match fitness back.
"He's worth his weight in gold to a club like Manchester United. I also find it good that Bastian never made a public statement or said he wanted a move to a new club.
"Of course he wants to play more and I hope he gets more games towards the end of the season in order to show how valuable he is."
Schweinsteiger's fortunes in England are being closely monitored in Bavaria. Bayern president Uli Hoeness expressed his displeasure at Schweinsteiger's treatment, saying in November that Schweinsteiger "should make United pay until his last day," only a few weeks after accusing the English club of treating the former Bayern midfielder "like a leper."
Schweinsteiger's future at United has been the subject of speculation, with sources telling ESPN FC last year that he held talks with Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer.
But Mourinho indicated this weekend Schweinsteiger is set to stay in England and would come into consideration for United's Europa League squad "as a selection option" in the coming weeks.