Pep Guardiola has played down suggestions he regrets allowing Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko join Arsenal as Manchester City prepare to host the Gunners.
Ukraine star Zinchenko and Brazil striker Jesus moved to north London from City over the summer for a combined sum of more than £70million. Zinchenko is set to face off against his former team-mates for the first time in the FA Cup on Friday, though Jesus will miss the game as he continues his recovery from an injury sustained during the World Cup.
Guardiola was quizzed on the transfers ahead of the cup clash, which comes after the former City duo helped Arsenal open up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Spaniard insisted he has no regrets over the two exits and revealed he is happy for the success of his former players.
"Why not? Because they are winning, ah, my friend!" Guardiola responded when quizzed over whether he'd ever questioned the wisdom of the sales. "Alex and Gabriel have been amazing with us. I have incredible respect [for them] as persons first and as football players.
"Of course, we want to beat them, but all the success they've had, for them and their families, it's going well and I'm more than delighted.
"If it's happened, it's because [of] the players, and both clubs would agree with that, and that's all. Many times Alex maybe could leave and said, 'no, no, I want to stay, I want to stay', and he stayed.
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"Gabriel, the same, and we were agreed because [after] a lot of years, [he wanted] a new challenge. Arsenal wanted him. It's happened in a natural way. It's going well for them and congratulations! We'll have to try to beat them and be close to them. In the next weeks some more, of course, in the next weeks this season and in seasons in the future."
The cup clash will be the first of three meetings between City and Arsenal this season. Their first league clash has been rearranged for February 15 - after being postponed in the aftermath of the death of Queen Elizabeth II - and the second will take place on April 26.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also has ties to City, having worked as Guardiola's number two before returning to the club where he ended his playing career. Ahead of Friday's game, Arteta admitted he would rather be doing battle with a different rival boss as he still wishes the best for his former mentor.
"I always hoped that (fighting for the title) was going to be the case one day, and it’s happening this season," he said. "That’s not going to change any friendship, the moments that we have, how important he is in my life, how important he is in my profession."
