The 42-year-old Dutchman, Pep Lijnders, the long-serving former Liverpool assistant coach, is set to join Pep Guardiola’s backroom staff at Manchester City. Lijnders has agreed to take up a role under Guardiola as the Premier League champions look to freshen up their technical team ahead of the new season.
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Lijnders spent nearly a decade at Liverpool over two separate stints, most notably as Jurgen Klopp’s trusted lieutenant during the club’s recent period of success. He played a vital role in Liverpool’s triumphs in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, and two Carabao Cup wins, during his time at Anfield.
Lijnders began his coaching career in 2014 as an academy coach at Liverpool, before being promoted to the first-team setup by then-manager Brendan Rodgers. When Klopp arrived in late 2015, Lijnders was not only retained but he also became an integral part of the German manager’s inner circle. In 2018, he briefly left to manage Dutch second-division side NEC Nijmegen, but returned to Merseyside just months later.
When Klopp decided to say goodbye to Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season, Lijnders followed suit and took up a head coach role with Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg. However, he could not work his magic with them and was let go merely seven months with the team.
Last month, there were whispers of Lijnders being linked with the managerial vacancy at Norwich City, but has now opted to return to the Premier League in a supporting role under one of the game’s most successful coaches.
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Guardiola recently restructured his backroom staff, parting ways with long-time aides Juanma Lillo, Carlos Vicens, and Inigo Dominguez. In seeking fresh perspectives and renewed energy, Guardiola appears to have turned to Lijnders to bring new insights and tactical innovation to City’s setup.
