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Former Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders is now on the coaching staff at Man City(Image: Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images)

Pep Guardiola appears to have secured an assistant manager with a track record of handling big personalities in the form of ex-Liverpool coach Pep Lijnders.

Manchester City confirmed Lijnders' appointment on Tuesday, as Guardiola aims to revamp the club's coaching team for the 2025/26 campaign.

The Dutchman spent nearly a decade working alongside Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and has previously spoken about his experience as the second-in-command to one of football's most prominent figures.

Following a short spell as manager at Red Bull Salzburg that concluded in December, Lijnders has returned to the UK to take up a role under another of the sport's notable figures, Guardiola.

Yet reading between the lines, his remarks show a man who is unafraid to say it how it is.

Article continues belowPep Lijnders and Jurgen Klopp worked together for almost 10 years(Image: Getty Images)

The former Reds coach also appears fearless when it comes to discussing some of Klopp's less attractive attributes in public.

Lijnders' comments show that he's a coach who can keep major characters in check, as demonstrated by his refusal to pander to his former boss's ego.

His move to one of Liverpool's title rivals has stirred up quite a bit of commotion, however.

Although he did have a stint away with Dutch side NEC Nijmegen at the start of 2018, Lijnders returned to play a vital role in transforming Liverpool into European and Premier League champions in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Notably, Lijnders' switch to the Citizens comes after he claimed that he would never work as an assistant manager again.

Pep Guardiola could have a fearless assistant on his hands in Lijnders(Image: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)

"I owe this club everything," Lijnders said on Liverpool FC's website in February 2024.

Nonetheless, his reputation as a deputy remains impressive as corroborated by Klopp's frequent praise.

"I have been lucky enough to meet many, many people in football during my time in the game and I don't think I have ever met anyone with the energy and enthusiasm he has for this game," Klopp said about Lijnders in 2023.

"I think I have said in the past, there is nothing he does not know about this sport.
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