Pep Guardiola has survived the tenures of three permanent Manchester United managers since joining Manchester City and is now looking forward to take on Ruben Amorim later this season.
Guardiola is looking forward to developing a new rivalry with Amorim as he believes the latter’s arrival at Old Trafford will inspire him to become better. United’s new Portuguese gaffer will begin work on November 11 after after the club announced on Friday that they had agreed a deal to hire him from Sporting Lisbon to succeed Erik ten Hag, who was served his walking papers on Monday, leaving Ruud van Nistelrooy as interim boss after the club’s poor start to the season.
39-year-old Amorim has two more matches remaining to focus on as Sporting manager before making his debut with United against Ipswich on November 24. He has signed a contract worth £6million per season until June 2027 with United and is expected to bring his coaching staff from Sporting with him.
Amorim’s arrival in Manchester will mark a new era for the club and Guardiola is excited to pit himself against a new managerial opponent in the Premier League. The legendarey Spaniard has out-lasted three permanent United bosses during his time across the city and vowed to study Amorim to improve himself.
“Unai Emery is here, [Andoni] Iraola is here, many top managers,” he said on Friday ahead of City’s Premier League game against Bournemouth.
“Every manager has new ideas. Of course it will improve myself. There are now more rivals.
“How many times face I faced Jurgen [Klopp], or now Mikel [Arteta] in the last few years. It’s normal how much you face them, and they’re fighting with you to be champions. I’m completely honest, I learn a lot from other managers. The problems they create. It makes you better.”
City face Amorim’s Sporting in the Champions League on Tuesday night, so Guardiola will get an early preview of what’s to come. Asked what message he would send to the United manager-in-waiting, Guardiola said: “Welcome to United and England. I will congratulate him next Tuesday.
“We faced each other two or three seasons ago in the Champions League. Welcome. I’m not the right person to give advice to my colleagues. United have a lot of people who will tell him the situation in the club. I cannot give him any advice.”
Guardiola has already had two encounters against Amorim as City manager after they met in the last-16 of the Champions League in February and March 2022. City laid waste to Sporting 5-0 in Portugal in the first leg before a 0-0 draw in the second at the Etihad Stadium.
Nevertheless, Guardiola was very complimentary when speaking ahead of City’s match against Tottenham in mid-week.
“All I can talk about is the experience of playing twice against Ruben’s Sporting Lisbon team, one or two seasons ago, and the pressure was really, really good,” he said.