Pellegrini: City spared me feeling like a fool

MANUEL PELLEGRINI would have felt ‘like a fool’ had Manchester City not moved quickly to announce Pep Guardiola as their incoming manager.

And the Chilean insists he’d have been out of a job even if he’d won every trophy available, so strong was City’s desire to lure the Bayern Munich boss.

‘Pep was on the market and it was clear they were going to take him when he became free,’ said Pellegrini, whose three-year reign ends next month. ‘If I had won two Champions Leagues and two Premier Leagues, Guardiola would still have come.’

City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain secured long-term target Guardiola and announced his arrival in February.

‘From the moment that Pep declared he would come to England the board knew that I would not be able to sit around like a fool,’ said Pellegrini. ‘All the world knew he would come here. Afterwards, we can analyse if it was good or bad.

‘But I don’t feel they have not valued my work. The club have always wanted to work with Guardiola. I don’t believe they are changing me because they were expecting more.’