The German, who managed Real Madrid to the LaLiga title in 2007-08 before being controversially sacked by Ramón Calderón on the eve of a Clásico, made the comments at The Battle of Stars, a charity golf tournament supporting ALS research held on the Mallorcan courses of Pula Golf and Son Servera.
Schuster, who also played for Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid during a storied career, offered a clear-eyed view of what Mourinho's appointment represents.
"I think footballistically you have to separate it a little. Mourinho doesn't come to Real Madrid to play attractive football and winning football — he's a coach who, with the experience of so many years, comes to lend the president a hand."
He went further, suggesting the appointment carries a political dimension as much as a sporting one.
"It can be a manoeuvre by the club's president to put him in front of the media, but also with the aim of creating a group that doesn't exist. That's why titles can't be won, not in two years, not in three — it's a bit about recovering some feelings."
Mourinho's appointment was confirmed this week, with Real Madrid paying Benfica €15 million in compensation to release him from his contract. He succeeds Álvaro Arbeloa, who took over in January following the dismissal of Xabi Alonso — a managerial sequence that has produced two trophyless seasons and a dressing room split by public disagreements between senior players, most notably Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni.
Schuster's reading aligns with that backdrop. His suggestion is that Mourinho's primary value lies not in tactical innovation but in restoring a hierarchy and discipline that the club has lacked — a function that, in his view, takes precedence over entertainment or rapid silverware.
Schuster also offered his view on Germany's prospects at the World Cup, where the team begins their campaign in the coming days.
"We're missing a centre-forward, a goalscorer. Germany is always competitive, but I don't have the feeling they can go very far. They know how to play tournaments and you should never rule them out, although I haven't liked what I've seen."
For a club that has just installed one of the most decorated managers in the sport's history with the explicit goal of restoring order, Schuster's framing — control before craft — may prove to be exactly the brief Mourinho has been given.