Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany paid tribute to experienced forward Thomas Muller, who made the most of just his sixth start of the season in all competitions in the Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.

Muller scored the goal that put Bayern ahead on the night, having initially gone 1-0 down after five minutes. He continued to be influential as his side ran riot, eventually winning 5-1.

"His goal is a quality that he always had in his career, just the right moment, the right place, and he scored the goal very efficiently," said Kompany after the rout.

"Then, of course, the energy, the passion, the leadership. For us, it is very important to have a good balance between experienced players and young players who still have to grow."

At 35 years old, Muller had only started one of his side's previous five matches in the Champions League this season, but was on hand to step in for the injured Harry Kane.

Despite his bit-part role this season, Kompany was keen to stress the importance of having such an experienced player within the squad.

"I think it has always been clear that he still plays a very important role for us, even if sometimes it is not every minute in the season, it is sometimes normal," said Kompany.

"I think because he has so much experience, he knows how important these moments are.

"He can turn a game, but we play in the Champions League, you can't always have a totally dominant game without the opponents working out a chance.

"At that moment, it was his chance and he did something important for the team. Of course, I think overall that we were very dominant, that we played well and that was an important moment."