Pepijn Lijnders will start working as an assistant coach to Josep Guardiola at Manchester City. The Dutch coach is thus returning to the Premier League.
The 42-year-old Lijnders was without a club after being dismissed as head coach at Red Bull Salzburg at the end of last year. Previously, he made a name for himself as assistant coach to Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool, with whom he won the national title and the Champions League.
Lijnders arrives at Manchester City in time to participate with the club in the Club World Cup later this month. ‘The Citizens’ will start the global club tournament in the United States next Wednesday with a match against the Moroccan club Wydad AC.
After a disappointing season, in which Manchester City missed out on a national title and finished in third place in the Premier League, Guardiola decided to change his staff. This created a vacancy for Lijnders, who has built a good reputation in England.
After periods as youth coach and technique trainer at PSV and FC Porto, Lijnders became assistant coach of Liverpool in 2015. He interrupted that three years later to become head coach at Eredivisie club NEC, but that adventure failed after only half a year.
After his dismissal, Lijnders was immediately brought back by Klopp, after which the two celebrated great successes in Liverpool. Following Klopp, Lijnders decided last summer to quit Liverpool and stand on his own at Red Bull Salzburg. That was also not a success, but that was no reason for Guardiola to dismiss him.