Gary Neville insists Pep Guardiola deserves to join Sir Alex Ferguson among all-time greatest managers if he wins the Treble with Man City… as he jokes, there is only a FIVE PER CENT chance of Man United beating their arch-rivals in the FA Cup final
- Man City are in line to win the Treble after becoming Premier League champions
- Man United are the only English side to have won a Treble in the 1998/99 season
- If successful, Pep Guardiola would match Sir Alex Ferguson’s performance
Gary Neville praised Pep Guardiola, claiming he deserves to be the only manager alongside Sir Alex Ferguson to lead an English club to a historic Treble.
After Arsenal lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Man City were crowned Premier League champions and handed Guardiola’s side their first trophy of the season.
It’s been a stellar second half for City, who have won 11 league games in a row, scoring 32 goals in the process, as they turned an eight-point deficit on Mikel Arteta’s side to win the league with three games remaining. .
They are also in the Champions League final after beating Real Madrid 5-1 in the semi-final and will face Inter Milan, while also taking on arch rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final.
This means they are just two games away from a historic Treble – a feat achieved only once before by an English club – United under Ferguson in 1998-99.
Gary Neville insists Pep Guardiola deserves to join Sir Alex Ferguson among all-time greatest managers if he wins Treble with Man City this season
Ferguson remains the only manager of an England team to win the Treble in 1999
Neville was part of the iconic United team that won the league, the FA Cup and the Champions League
And Neville – who has been part of that iconic squad alongside several greats – hailed Guardiola as a potential equal to Ferguson, while also insisting that City’s squad is a special team.
‘Do I want City to win the Treble?’ Neville told The Telegraph. ‘No! No! No, I don’t. Nobody wants City to win the Treble if you are a fan of Manchester United.
“But if they do the job in the Premier League and beat Manchester United [in the FA Cup final] and Inter Milan [in the Champions League final] all you have to do is hold up your hands and say, “This manager and this group of players have accomplished something unique.” And that’s actually quite appropriate if this manager does it.
“Sir Alex Ferguson deserves to be the only manager in history to have won the Treble because he is the best, but if Pep Guardiola joined him he would be a worthy companion because I think he is right is to what Sir Alex Ferguson has achieved.”
Ferguson won 39 trophies at United between 1986 and 2013 and while Neville also claimed that Guardiola – who has won 12 trophies in his seven years at Manchester – was a dedicated coach, he said the Scot deserves extra credit for his work with limited resources.
Manchester City became champions of the Premier League after Arsenal lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest
They were in fine form in the second half of the season, winning 11 league games in a row
He added: ‘Wwhen we talk about greatness we should mention Sir Alex Ferguson was not only provided with great young players and a great pot to spend at Manchester United – he turned Aberdeen into kings of Europe, defeated Real Madrid and kings of Scotland Rangers and Celtic – and that in itself is a huge achievement.
“Then to come to Manchester United and break the dominance of Liverpool and do what he’s been doing for a period of time… in terms of longevity and consistency, he’s the best.”
“But what we’re seeing now from Pep, who spent six or seven seasons at City – I think Pep now sees what Sir Alex did and thinks, ‘Okay, I can go on for another six, eight, 10 years.’ Because where does he ever get the platform to do what he likes at City?
Marcel was full of praise for what Guardiola has done with City since taking over as boss in 2016
He also joked that there is only a five per cent chance United will beat them in the FA Cup final
“So to me he would be a worthy companion to Sir Alex and his players would be worthy companions to our Manchester United Treble team. But fingers crossed they lose!’
Neville will be on hand at the FA Cup final as a fan, supporting the team he made 602 appearances for, but explained he is not optimistic about their hopes against a team Ferguson once called ‘the boisterous neighbours’.
“I bought tickets for Wembley,” he added. I think: I want to be there to see Manchester City beat Manchester United and possibly win the Treble, but I also want to be there to see Manchester United possibly go out.
“For that 5 percent chance it could happen!”