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Rob Dawson, Correspondent
Pep Guardiola said he expects Manchester United to “make a step forward” under new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, but added he’s “not worried” about the British billionaire’s comments that he wants to knock Manchester City “off their perch.”
Ratcliffe’s stake in United was confirmed on Tuesday and the 71-year-old followed it up with a declaration that, under his reign, he wanted the club to “smash City on the pitch.”
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Guardiola, however, shrugged off the threat but did concede that the new ownership at Old Trafford would likely see United mount a more serious challenge in the future.
“It is not [something] I am worried about,” Guardiola told a news conference on Friday.
“I think I am pretty sure with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the other people Manchester United are going to make a step forward.
“I had the feeling they know exactly what they have to do, appointing people they need. With his experience in the business world it can make the project better. But that is normal. All the teams want it [to be at the top] and we want to be there. As long as I am here we will try to be there again.”
Among Ratcliffe’s claims that he wants United to replace City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, the INEOS chairman was complimentary about how their Manchester rivals have been able to kickstart an era of success at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola’s team have won the title in five of the last six seasons and lifted the Champions League trophy for the first time in their history in June.
Ratcliffe has already acted by poaching Omar Berrada from the Etihad to become CEO and Guardiola said it’s a compliment that City are being held up as the benchmark of where United want to get to.
“Always when we have been below teams I have admired them and ‘what do you have to do to be close and challenge them?’,” Guardiola said.
“This is [where] the real competitive people want to be.
“When we were below and United were winning we were watching and admiring them. We learned from them. In the days of Sir Alex Ferguson and the generation from Roy Keane, David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville.
“All the big players were there. I am pretty sure then City admired them and wanted to be there. Now we are there. So that’s why I had the feeling they would be back.”