Pep Guardiola revealed that there is an open invitation for Erik ten Hag to visit Manchester City’s training ground after the Dutch coach was sacked by Manchester United on Monday.
Guardiola faced Ten Hag in seven Manchester derbies during their shared two years in England. The City boss got the better of his United counterpart on five occasions, including a lowlight 6-3 loss when they first clashed, but lost May’s FA Cup final.
That Wembley victory preserved Ten Hag’s precarious position at Old Trafford. However, a disastrous start to the current campaign forced INEOS to belatedly pull the trigger.
When faced with the media ahead of a midweek Carabao Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur, Guardiola was asked if Ten Hag would be welcome at City’s training ground. “Any time!” the Catalan coach replied.
“No, seriously. Many people come and always we are open, but I think he knows exactly what we do, and I think it’s not going to happen but of course, I know his agent a little bit, so the relation is there so there’s no problem for me, for us.”
Ten Hag spent two seasons in charge of Bayern Munich’s second team while Guardiola was at the helm of the senior side, earning the nickname ‘Mini Pep’ given the shared similarities between the two coaches. Guardiola is also a client of Sports Entertainment Group (SEG), an agency which was founded by Kees Vos, who happens to be Ten Hag’s agent.
“I’m so sorry for him,” Guardiola added when reflecting on Ten Hag’s departure. “I have an incredible relationship with him. He represented United in the highest level in terms of behaviour.
“[A Football] manager is one of the only professions where people expect you to be sacked. I don’t see it with architects, doctors or teachers. It’s only in our job. We have to accept it.
“I wish him all the best – he’s going to come back stronger. He knows that our jobs depend on the results. If the results are not good enough, you will be sacked. I’m saying that about myself – I’m not an exception.”