RELENTLESS

City No.2: Pep's put decades into his craft and is STILL improving

- SIMON MULLOCK

SHEFFIELD UTD v MAN CITY

THE man who has long been a coaching inspiration to Pep Guardiola has bad news for all Manchester City's Premier League rivals - the Etihad's history-making manager is going to keep getting better.

Juanma Lillo will take charge of the champions for their trip to Sheffield United, with Guardiola recovering in Barcelona still, after an operation on his back.

The 57-year-old Spaniard (right, with Guardiola) has been an inspiration to the City manager since coaching him at Mexican club Doradas de Sinaloa almost 20 years ago.

After some globe-trotting, including spells in La Liga, Lillo stepped in as City assistant in June 2020, spending two years at the Etihad - and he returned to advise the Catalan last season.