Back in April, when Manchester United's move for Erik ten Hag drew closer, Pep Guardiola didn't let club rivalries stop him singing the Dutchman's praises.
Indeed, with the then-Ajax boss on the verge of his new job, with Mauricio Pochettino the only other remaining contender, Manchester City boss Guardiola was in no doubt about the qualities of the man who worked under him at Bayern Munich, even earmarking him as a potential successor at City one day. "Are you asking me if Erik ten Hag could be here? Definitely," he said.
Fast forward five months and Ten Hag goes into the game at the Etihad Stadium off the back of four successive league wins, helping the Red Devils recover from their slow start to the Premier League season. However, he will need to show some improvement on last season's performances, when United were nowhere near their neighbours in defeats under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
If Ten Hag's side are to continue their recovery, the former Ajax manager will need to get the better of a man with whom he has plenty of history. The Dutchman was in charge of Bayern Munich's reserve team between 2013 and 2015, when Pep Guardiola was in charge of the senior side, and has been praised in the past by the City boss.
Early days in Munich
When Ten Hag took charge of Bayern Munich II, his managerial career was still in its infancy. He moved to Bavaria after leading Go Ahead Eagles to promotion to the Eredivisie, joining in the same summer that Guardiola took over as manager of the reigning European champions.
Reports at the time revealed sporting director Matthias Sammer was the driving force behind the appointment. However, with Guardiola having been confirmed long before the end of the season, it helped that he too came to rate his colleague highly.
Can Ten Hag get the better of Guardiola? Have your say in the comments section
Ten Hag would end up leaving the club after two years, returning to his homeland to continue his impressive rise with Utrecht. He kept tabs on Guardiola, though, and the pair had plenty to say about their respective careers after leaving Bayern.
'Mini-pep'
Back in April, before Ten Hag took over at Old Trafford, Steve McClaren shed more light on how the relationship between the two managers developed in Bavaria. McClaren had earlier worked with the Dutchman at FC Twente, winning the Eredivisie in 2009, and has joined Ten Hag's coaching staff back at Old Trafford having previously worked there under Alex Ferguson.
“Erik is very disciplined and people have to buy into that and have that work ethic," McClaren told The Telegraph. "Tactically he’s outstanding.
"He worked with Pep [Guardiola] at Bayern Munich and took in his philosophy too. They called him ‘Mini Pep’ out there. He’s ready. A lot of top clubs in Germany and England will be out to get him.”
A 'lucky' relationship
The relationship between Ten Hag and Guardiola appears to have been built on mutual respect. Within this context, it says a lot that the City boss holds his peer in high esteem even after Ten Hag outlined a mistake made by the Catalan.
"Only once in his career has Pep made a mistake – in his first year at Manchester City, when he completely underestimated the power and speed of the Premier League," Ten Hag claimed.
"He realised that you can't play the kind of football he loves without having a couple of physically strong athletes – and so he brought them in. So he's not a stubborn coach. Yes, he is stubborn in his philosophy, but not in the execution. And that makes him the best."
Guardiola had soon turned things around, winning the league title in 2017-18 with a record point haul and defending the trophy the following year. A Champions League final has still escaped him, though, and the City manager was full of praise for Ten Hag when Ajax came within a minute of achieving the feat on a fraction of the budget.
"I was lucky to meet him at Bayern and he was an assistant from the second team," Guardiola said in 2019, as reported by AS. "We had a lot of chats."
"I'm delighted where he is, a historical club. It would have been a pleasure to play him," he added. City came close to facing Ajax in the 2018-19 semi-finals, narrowly losing to Tottenham Hotspur in the last eight, and the London club would go on to deny Ten Hag's side at the death in Amsterdam.
Moment of truth
“If I was 100% sure [he'll be a success in England] I would call Manchester United and tell those guys you have to take him," Manchester City boss Guardiola would later say. "But I don’t know and nobody knows.”
When Ten Hag was confirmed at Old Trafford, though, his new rival was one of the first to congratulate him. "Congratulations to Erik and I wish him all the best," he said.
"He is a top-class manager and his teams are a joy to watch. Watch his Ajax team and you see his qualities."
Ten Hag's arrival in England came off the back of a third Eredivisie title with the Dutch club, with a curtailed 2019-20 season denying him the opportunity to leave with four on the spin. And now, after beginning the season with successive defeats, he has returned last season's sixth-place finishers to the point where they go into a derby with - if not outright optimism - at least hope of getting something from their rivals.
City have yet to taste defeat in the league this season as they aim to win a third straight title of their own. However, if they lose on Sunday, Guardiola won't be able to say he didn't know what to expect.
