Bayern Munich interim coach Jupp Heynckes has advised Julian Nagelsmann "to stay at Hoffenheim for a few more years" but suggested it is inevitable the 30-year-old will coach Bayern Munich in the future.
Heynckes returned to Bayern as coach until the end of the season following the dismissal of Carlo Ancelotti, but Nagelsmann has been strongly linked with the permanent job in Munich, where his family is based, and he was photographed in the city earlier this month.
Nagelsmann, the Bundesliga's youngest-ever coach, took charge of Hoffenheim's senior side at age 28 near the end of the 2015-16 season after having impressed in various coaching roles at the club since 2008.
But Heynckes, 72, suggested the younger man would need a little more time before taking on as large a challenge as Bayern.
"Perhaps it would be good to stay at Hoffenheim for a few more years and gain some experience in Europe," Heynckes told Rhein Neckar Zeitung.
"You can still make mistakes at a smaller club. One day he will end up at Bayern Munich anyway."
Nagelsmann is under contract until 2021 with Hoffenheim.
ESPN FC's Bayern Munich correspondent Mark Lovell contributed to this report