Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm says Holger Badstuber's six-month loan to Schalke is the right move and will prove to be an "important step in his career."
Schalke signed Badstuber, 27, on loan from rivals Bayern for the remainder of the season on Tuesday after Carlo Ancelotti had indicated that he would be free to leave on a temporary basis.
The defender, who was also linked with Manchester City and Swansea, has suffered five serious injuries since 2012, which has restricted him to just 119 Bundesliga appearances since making his debut for Bayern over seven years ago.
But Lahm feels the injury-plagued Badstuber can only benefit from leaving Bavaria for the rest of the season.
"The most important thing for Holger is to play regular football so that he can get back into rhythm after all the lengthy injuries," Lahm told Bild.
"I know what Holger can do and I know that it's an important step in his career. He'll play regularly in Schalke and then we'll see what the situation in the summer is."
And Lahm, Bayern's longest-serving player, recalled his own positive experiences of a loan spell as a 19-year-old at Stuttgart from 2003 to 2005.
"That was a super loan back then for me," Lahm said. "I came to Stuttgart as an amateur player, because I didn't have a chance to train with Bayern's first team -- let alone play a game. VfB offered me an opportunity -- that was great."