Pep Guardiola is not concerned that Omar Berrada leaving Manchester City to become Manchester United's CEO will significantly weaken his club.
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Berrada left City to become United CEOGuardiola wished him the best in new roleCoach not concerned about shift in powerWHAT HAPPENED?
The coach wished Berrada luck after the Frenchman agreed to cross the divide from City to United but he believes the move will not lead to a shift in the balance of power in Manchester as his side will still have key players such as Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, who can make the difference on the pitch.
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"His knowledge goes to United, that's the reality. We learned a lot from Omar but he’s learned a lot from the club and now he’s gone to United," Guardiola told a press conference. "But Kevin De Bruyne is still in Man City, Erling Haaland will play here so in the end it’s not as simple as that. Otherwise with the power of united they would have done it before. Maybe United thinks with this person everything is going to change – congratulations. I don’t know if this is going to happen."
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Many senior figures and players were shocked by Berrada switching sides but Guardiola said he had no hard feelings about the switch. He added: "We will be well prepared, we will adapt and adjust and move forward. He is a lovely person, incredible character, incredible professional. Yesterday I saw him, we hugged and I wished him all the best, deeply I wish him the best because he’s a fantastic person. But I don’t know if doing this everything is going to be sorted and it works [for United]. If it does happen then oh my god they have to make a stand for Omar Berrada in the future because he’d deserve it."
DID YOU KNOW?
Berrada was the first major figure to leave Barcelona and work for City, switching from Catalonia to Manchester in 2011. CEO Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain followed in 2012 while Guardiola took over as coach in 2016.