“If you don’t do it…” – Pepijn Lijnders lifts lid on Jurgen Klopp conversation ahead of Manchester City switch | OneFootball

Manchester City assistant coach Pepijn Lijnders has revealed what former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp advised him to do when Pep Guardiola came calling last summer.

Lijnders worked as Klopp’s assistant at Anfield and won a Premier League title with the German coach, who parted ways with the Merseyside outfit in 2024 and passed on the baton to Arne Slot, who led the Reds to league glory in his first season in England.

Guardiola overhauled his managerial staff last summer in the wake of his most challenging season at the Etihad Stadium, with director of football Hugo Viana revamping the Manchester City first-team squad and signing off on several high-profile exits upon replacing long-serving executive Txiki Begiristain.

City saw Lijnders, Kolo Toure and James French join forces with Guardiola, with Lijnders’ appointment in particular attracting headlines given his long-standing association with Klopp during their time together at Anfield.

Speaking in a press conference in the build-up to Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham at the weekend, Lijnders was quizzed on Klopp’s positive reference to Guardiola last summer. “When Pep (Guardiola) calls, I felt the call coming because he asked a few people and it always comes back in the football world.

“You hope he makes this call, you hope it’s a nice one to have. The feeling was straight away really good, so it was not a difficult decision.”

On whether it was a difficult decision at all to join Manchester City, perhaps having shouted at City staff previously in the opposition dugout, Lijnders added: “No, I never shouted. You want my political answer? No, of course not.

“The moment Pep (Guardiola) called and how I felt, the feeling he gave me, what he wanted to do with the team by bringing me in, the trust he already had before we even started talking about how it would look, made the decision much easier.

“But you cannot put away 10 years in Liverpool that easily, no? But I’m really proud to come to a club of this magnitude, to come into a club who was so successful over the last 10 years, with a manager who defined football. So when I spoke with Jurgen (Klopp) about it, he was so clear, ‘If you don’t do it, I’ll take the assistant job!'”

On whether it will be strange being in the away dressing room at Anfield in Manchester City’s upcoming Premier League game, Lijnders said: “No, because I’m a professional, we played them here (at the Etihad Stadium).

“When we go to Anfield, it will be maybe more special for my family than for me. But my mindset is to win and to try to beat them.”

Manchester City lost further ground in the title race last week and nothing less than three points will work for the Blues against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday evening, with Arsenal seven points clear at the top of the Premier League heading into this weekend’s games.