“It’s the truth!”: Pep Guardiola says Man United will “be back” under Sir Jim Ratcliffe | OneFootball

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has bizarrely tipped Premier League rivals Manchester United to claw their way back to the top under the stewardship of Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Earlier this week, United confirmed via a public statement that Ratcliffe had completed his partial 27.7% stake in the club.

He can now start work at Old Trafford in an official capacity.

Barely a day after the announcement of the completion of his deal, Ratcliffe spoke to the media and addressed supporters on a number of material topics including how far behind the Red Devils are in comparison to their competitors like Man City and Liverpool.

Similar to when Sir Alex Ferguson vowed to trump Liverpool when he was appointed United manager, Ratcliffe made such an equally ambitious promise and explained that his main objective is to knock the two clubs off their perch.

It certainly won’t be an easy task.

However, according to Guardiola, Ratcliffe is already well underway to restoring United to its past glories, simply by admitting the Red Devils are trailing behind.

The Spaniard said, “It’s the truth! As (soon) as the teams admit it, they will be closer to us. If they want to deny it for things that are not the reality then it’s their problem. It’s not our problem.”

“When I’ve been below teams I’ve always admired them and thought about what we need to do to be close, to challenge them. If they want to be judged on things they are comfortable with for one day they will not arrive where we are now.”

“When we were below and United were winning, we were watching them, admiring them. We wanted to learn from them. The period of Sir Alex Ferguson – the generation with Roy Keane, David Beckham, Gary Neville – and all those big, big players, Rio Ferdinand – I’m pretty sure City admired and thought ‘we want to be there’. Now we are there.”

“That’s why, for these type of comments, that I have the feeling that they will be back.”

When asked whether he’s concerned by the prospect of United overtaking them, Guardiola remarked, “It’s not about (being) worried. I’m pretty sure with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the other people that United are going to take a step forwards.”

“I feel that they know exactly what they have to do, appoint the people they need to appoint with their experience in the business world to make projects better.”

The 53-year-old coach added that it’s not only United that are aiming to get better, as other Premier League teams are also constantly making efforts to become the best in the country.

Guardiola pointed out that his ultimate priority is Man City and everyone else including United, comes secondary.