- Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed his partial takeover of Man United earlier this week
- Reacting to the news, Guardiola said he thinks the Red Devils ‘will come back’
- While Pep Guardiola is at Manchester City, it will be difficult for anyone to unseat them. Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Pep Guardiola believes Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s reverence for Manchester City’s success supports his prediction that the new co-owner can bridge the gap with their city rivals.
Although the City manager insisted they would continue to challenge for honors during his time in England, he does believe Manchester United’s structural changes will give them an extra dimension.
Ratcliffe studied City’s specific set-up before taking charge at Old Trafford and they have gone ahead with the appointment of Omar Berrada as CEO. Promotions are also underway for Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox.
“It’s not about worrying about United,” Guardiola said. ‘Like Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the rest of them, I’m pretty sure United will take a step forward.
‘I have the feeling that they know exactly what to do: appoint the people they need with their business experience to make projects better.
Pep Guardiola has claimed Man United will ‘come back’ as he responded to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival at the club, which was officially confirmed on Tuesday.
The British billionaire insisted United had a lot to learn from their ‘noisy neighbours’
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“When I was among the teams, I always admired them and thought about what we need to do to be close, to challenge them. These are real competitive people. If they want to be judged on things they feel comfortable with, they won’t get where we are now.’
Ratcliffe was effusive in his praise for City last week and Guardiola, when asked if he was flattered by that, replied: ‘It’s the truth. As much as the teams admit it, they will be closer to us. If they want to deny it for things that aren’t reality, that’s their problem. It’s not our problem.
‘When we were downstairs and United were winning, we looked at them and admired them. We wanted to learn from them.
‘The period of Sir Alex Ferguson – the generation with Roy Keane, David Beckham, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand – and all those great players. I’m pretty sure City admired it and thought we wanted to be there. Now we are there.
“That’s why I have the feeling that these kinds of comments are coming back.”