Bayern Munich goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt has revealed he warned Louis van Gaal he was making the wrong decision by dropping him.
Van Gaal decided in January to replace Butt in the Bayern goal with the reserve-team goalkeeper Thomas Kraft, and it was a glaring error by the 21-year-old in the 1-1 draw with Nurnberg over a week ago which cost the Dutchman his job.
And Butt said such an end was predictable and that he had tried to prevent it.
"I could not understand the decision because I had played one and a half years at a high level and won titles with the club," said Butt.
"I had a long talk with Van Gaal (in January). It was never about convincing Van Gaal to change his mind because he was already convinced of what he was doing.
"But I told him my opinion and my reservations."
The 37-year-old has been around long enough to know that thrusting a 21-year-old onto the biggest stage in German football was a huge gamble.
"To move up from the third division to the FC Bayern goal is extremely tough," he told reporters at Bayern's training ground.
"Especially when you are only 21. We are not a feeder club and when you are goalkeeper here, you cannot afford to make a single mistake.
"Neither I nor Oliver Kahn would have been able to stand between the posts for Bayern at that age.
"It is a process. Oliver had gained lots of experience with Karlsruhe (before joining Bayern) and experienced many situations."
