Pep Lijnders is set to join Pep Guardiola’s coaching team at Manchester City, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The City boss’s backroom staff is due for a revamp this summer following the departures of key personnel Juanma Lillo, Carlos Vicens, and Inigo Dominguez.
Lijnders was among the frontrunners to fill a vacant coaching role on Guardiola’s bench.
This comes after a brief spell in management following his departure from Liverpool alongside Jurgen Klopp.
Widely regarded as one of the tactical masterminds behind Liverpool’s recent success, Lijnders was appointed manager of Red Bull Salzburg in May 2024 but was relieved of his duties after just six months.
Earlier this week, Man City announced that three coaches would be leaving the club and confirmed none would be travelling to the Club World Cup in the United States.
This leaves Guardiola potentially short-staffed for the Stateside trip, making the recruitment of Lijnders a significant coup for the Premier League champions.
Lijnders’ coaching journey began in 2002 at PSV Eindhoven, where he focused on youth training and individual player development.
He then moved to Porto in 2006, contributing to their youth academy while working under managers such as Jesualdo Ferreira and André Villas-Boas.
In 2014, Lijnders joined Liverpool as a development coach under Brendan Rodgers.
He later became assistant coach and first-team trainer under Jurgen Klopp.
He briefly managed Dutch side NEC in 2018 before returning to Liverpool later that year.
During his time at Anfield, Lijnders played a key role in Liverpool’s successes, helping secure the 2019 UEFA Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup later that year, and the Premier League title in the 2019-20 season.
In January 2024, Lijnders announced he would leave Liverpool at the end of the season to pursue his managerial ambitions.
He was appointed manager of Red Bull Salzburg in May 2024 but was dismissed in December 2024 after 29 matches, following a challenging start to the season and defensive struggles in the Champions League.
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