Oliver Bierhoff is of the belief that Louis van Gaal should be backing Bastian Schweinsteiger and not publicly criticising him.

The German midfielder has been sidelined with a knee injury since early January and there is believed to be no return date in sight.

Van Gaal has indicated that the former Bayern Munich star needs to 'change his mindset' if he wants to produce more for United but Germany's team manager Bierhoff has slammed the Dutchman for his treatment of the World Cup winner.

"Every player needs the backing of the coach, the same goes for Bastian," he told Sport Bild.

"Generally, I find it unfortunate if coaches publicly criticise their players so hard.

"I think, with the prospect of participating as captain at Euro 2016, his motivation and concentration will return. It is important that Bastian is fully internalised at some point.

"Competition is fierce for Bastian's position, as we have seen at the World Cup. I assume that Bastian will play at the Euros. He is an important part of the team.

"We had a similar case with Sami Khedira, who was injured long before the World Cup. He played little but was still in Brazil. In the end, it depends on Bastian's overall situation."