Franz Beckenbauer fears Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal will walk away from the job when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The German icon is worried Van Gaal's desire to manage the Germany national team will see him exit the club, despite enjoying recent success in Bavaria.
Van Gaal, 59, is believed to be keen on succeeding Joachim Low in the Germany hot seat after guiding the Bundesliga giants to a league and cup double last season.
Champions League glory eluded his team and Beckenbauer feels Munich fans will only see their coach in the dugout for one more season after his current deal expires.
The club's honorary president said in the Abendzeitung newspaper: "He is approaching 60 so it is understandable that he eventually gets sick of day-to-day training and that he wants a bit of freedom.
"A national team coaching position would be the ideal job (for him). I can understand his longing to get one."
Van Gaal's reign at the Allianz Arena started slowly but the Dutchman gradually imposed his style on the Munich players and began to win silverware.
And Beckenbauer has not given up entirely on the former Barcelona boss extending his tenure in charge of the club.
On the prospect of an extension, Beckenbauer added: "Of course I would hope so. He regards Bayern highly and knows what he has got here. The team took a few months to understand his philosophy, but now it has bedded in and the team is still young so he could still develop and enhance things further."
Meanwhile, Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has criticised striker Miroslav Klose for his attitude last season.
Klose found the net four times inside a month for Germany at the World Cup but managed just three all season for his employers.
And Rummenigge has hit out at the 32-year-old, saying: "Miro was criticised very harshly before the World Cup and the media said Cacau should have played ahead of him. So he said he was going to work hard and he lost five kilos.
"At this point, I asked myself, 'does he not have to work hard for FC Bayern and shouldn't you be at your ideal weight for them?' It is not on that he suddenly starts working hard for the national team and at Bayern, where he earns his money, he has a different approach."
Rummenigge also criticised 30million euros (£25m) recruit Mario Gomez, whose debut season at the club proved to be a disappointment.
He added: "Not only was he scoring goals, but he was playing the football we wanted to see from him too. Then something happened which we have not understood to this day."
