Pep ‘missed out’ on United job because of Ferguson’s accent

LONDON: Pep Guardiola has revealed that it is possible that he missed out on the chance to manage Manchester United because he couldn’t fully understand what Sir Alex Ferguson was saying to him at their famous dinner date in New York in 2012.

Guardiola, however, insists that he has no regrets on missing the United job and the chance to succeed Ferguson because he was always set on joining Manchester City if he came to the Premier League.

Ferguson met Guardiola while the current City manager was on a sabbatical in New York and in his autobiography the former United manager said that he sounded Guardiola out about replacing him and asked him to let him know if he had other offers.

A month later, in January 2013, Guardiola announced he would join Bayern Munich without informing Ferguson.

Guardiola now says that it may have been his lack of English — or possibly Ferguson’s Glaswegian accent — which foiled United’s attempts to snare the man who now works for their principal rivals

“My English is that period was not as good as it is right now — and so maybe I just didn’t understand him,” said Guardiola. “We met in a magnificent restaurant and I don’t remember that he suggested to me something like maybe going to Old Trafford. I know he has said that but I don’t remember.

“We spoke about life, about football, about the Premier League. But he never sent me a message under the table to say: ‘Maybe, you know United.’ I don’t remember that.

“It was just two friends, two colleagues in football, talking about many, many things. What I do remember was that he spoke a little bit fast and it was difficult to understand him! It wasn’t easy for me. But it was nice because he chose an amazing restaurant — and of course he paid!”

However, Guardiola claims that he has no regrets at a missed opportunity and that he was already well down the line to agreeing a deal with Bayern.

“In that period I had already talked to Bayern Munich and it was clear to me that I was going to live that magnificent experience to go to Germany,” he said.

“Bayern were the first one to call me, alongside Manchester City, but I decided to prove myself, to go to Germany, learn German and live that experience. After that, Manchester City arrived and I said that if I went to the Premier League I would go to them.

“I met (chairman) Khaldoon (Al Mubarak) and (Sporting Director) Txiki (Begiristain) again during my last period in Bayern Munich and they showed more interest than any other club to pick me up. That was so important to me.

“I saw that they wanted me not just for the hypothetical titles you are going to win or you on in the past, but they wanted me.” Daily Mail