Man City confirm return of Juanma Lillo to Pep Guardiola's coaching staff
- Lillo has been unveiled as the newest addition to Guardiola's coaching staff
- Spaniard spent two years as City's assistant manager before leaving for Al Sadd last summer
- Lillo replaces Enzo Maresca, who is now in charge at Leicester City
By Tom Gott
Manchester City have welcomed Juanma Lillo back into Pep Guardiola's coaching staff ahead of the new season.
Lillo spent two years as Guardiola's assistant between 2020 and 2022 before leaving to take charge of Saudi side Al Sadd.
City replaced Lillo with fellow Spaniard Enzo Maresca, but he would last just 12 months before taking over as manager of Championship side Leicester City, leaving City in need of a new assistant, and a deal has now been struck to bring Lillo back to the Etihad Stadium.
"Juanma sees things no one else in the game sees," Guardiola said of his arrival. "He understands football on an incredible level, so he is the perfect person for me to work alongside.
"I have always been inspired by him – his knowledge of football, his intelligence and his humanity mark him out as a very special person in my life – and we have a shared ideology. He is a friend, a colleague and an inspiration. I am so, so happy he is back here at Manchester City.
"His preparation for matches is absolutely amazing. I know he will raise standards because he works so hard every single day."
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Director of football Txiki Begiristain added: "Juanma is a brilliant thinker and coach, who has a clear understanding of how the game should be played.
"His vision is totally aligned with Pep’s. They both love this game and want their teams to produce high-quality, attacking football at all times.
"He also has great knowledge of football across the world. His experiences of different leagues and styles means he brings expertise that can supplement, not just our coaching setup, but our scouting system, too.
"I have no doubt his return will bring a fresh perspective to the way we work and give everyone at the CFA a lift."
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