The Swiss feels that his compatriot’s work at Gladbach proves he has the right footballing philosophy for the Bavarians
Former Bayern Munich boss Ottmar Hitzfeld believes that Lucien Favre should be a prime candidate to succeed Pep Guardiola as coach should the Catalan decided to leave the Allianz Arena next year.
Guardiola’s contract expires at the end of the 2015-16 season and he has thus far remained non-committal on his future plans.
The ex-Barcelona trainer has been linked with Manchester City in recent weeks but Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is optimistic about the German champions’ chances of persuading the 44-year-old to extend his stay in Bavaria.
However, Hitzfeld feels his old side should start identifying potential successors now, claiming that Borussia Monchengladbach coach Favre has already proven his credential for the biggest job in the Bundesliga.
“Favre is a candidate for Bayern,” the Swiss said of his compatriot in an interview with told Sky. “Favre is a coach who has worked really well with Gladbach. He is certainly a candidate for Bayern when Guardiola eventually quits.
“He is a coach that can play offensive football. He can get the best out of playes like [striker] Raffael, who I did not think would make the jump up from Zurich to the Bundesliga.
“Favre is good with these type of players and he will have a lot of artists like Raffael in Bavaria.”
Monchengladbach currently sit fourth in the Bundesliga standings, eight points clear of fifth-placed Schalke in the race for Champions League football.