Klinsmann was sacked on Monday after a 1-0 defeat at home to Schalke, their third home reverse of the season, left them three points adrift of league leaders Wolfsburg with five games to go.

Jupp Heynckes has taken over until the end of the season as the club seek a reaction in order to reach their minimum aim of a place in the Champions League next season and Beckenbauer, while regretting it had not worked out with Klinsmann, admitted there was no other choice.

"I think it is a shame that it could not be taken to the end (of the season)," he said.

"Jurgen Klinsmann engaged himself incredibly and threw himself right into the job from the very first minutes.

"He brought a new dimension to the Sabener Strasse (training facilities), only he did not get the results.

"He had lost the respect of the club's management and the team."

Beckenbauer claims the defeats to Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga and Champions League elimination to Barcelona had been the turning point in the season for Klinsmann.

"You could see there that the team was not following the coach anymore," he added.

"They were doing what they wanted and those were the first signs of things collapsing."

Heynckes was not the man expected to step in and it has been rumoured that he was only the second choice after former coach Ottmar Hitzfeld turned down a third stint in charge.

However, Beckenbauer has welcomed the 63-year-old's appointment until the end of the season.

"All the talk was of Klinsmann being a newcomer and to appoint another newcomer like Mehmet Scholl or Paul Breitner would have been risky," he told Premiere television.

"So it was decided that we would take a seasoned leader and I think that is the right decision."