Pep Lijnders, Manchester City's assistant manager, revealed that former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp encouraged him to take the role under Pep Guardiola. Lijnders, who served as Klopp's assistant for nearly a decade at Liverpool, joined City's coaching staff in summer 2025. Klopp reportedly joked he would accept the assistant job himself if Lijnders did not.
The Dutch coach had left Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season, subsequently taking the head coach position at Red Bull Salzburg. However, Lijnders was dismissed from the Austrian club in December 2024 before his move to Manchester.
He recently spoke about the intensity of working with Guardiola, praising the manager's passion and understanding of the game. Lijnders is currently in his first season with City and has experience of title battles from his time at Liverpool.
