“It was no surprise that Pep went for another Pep!”
According to Liverpool Echo reporting, former Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders will reunite with his old club when Manchester City face the Reds on Sunday, as Pep Guardiola celebrates his 1000th managerial game. Lijnders, who left Anfield in 2024 after six successful years under Jurgen Klopp, joined Guardiola’s backroom staff after a brief, unsuccessful spell managing Red Bull Salzburg.
Liverpool legend Gary McAllister, who worked alongside Lijnders under Brendan Rodgers, said he wasn’t surprised to see him at City. “It was no surprise that Pep went for another Pep! He’s, on the grass, in the training sessions, one of the best I’ve seen,” McAllister said in an exclusive interview.
McAllister praised Lijnders’ football philosophy, describing him as “a pure football man” shaped by Dutch principles and his time at Liverpool. He added that Lijnders’ return as an assistant reflected his strength as a coach rather than a manager.
The former midfielder also expressed confidence that Lijnders’ insider knowledge of Liverpool would not disadvantage Arne Slot’s side, noting that both clubs’ advanced analysis teams would neutralize any such edge.