Sir Alex Ferguson admitted handing over the Manager of the Year trophy to Pep Guardiola was "sore" as the Spaniard was rewarded for winning another Premier League title.
Guardiola led Manchester City to their third successive league win, with his side also fighting to win a treble. If they managed to win both the FA Cup and Champions League in the next fortnight, Guardiola will match a feat only Ferguson has achieved with an English club.
The first piece of the treble was secured 10 days ago, with Guardiola's men successfully overcoming Arsenal, who had led the table for much of the campaign. But it was City who ended up winning the league, the fifth time they have done so in six years.
That achievement also earned Guardiola the LMA Manager of the Year award for the third time, with the trophy being handed out on Tuesday night. The award is named after Ferguson and the Scot was on hand to announce Guardiola as the winner.
As he did so, the legendary former Manchester United boss could not resist aiming a sly dig at Guardiola. Announcing Guardiola as the winner, he said: "Manchester City's Pep Guardiola. It's sore isn't it, it's really sore. But well deserved.
"He's created a team that's improved every year. Winning three championships in a row tells you the story. I think their performances in the latter part when it really means something, they produced top class performances."
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Guardiola paid tribute to his fellow nominees after being crowned the Manager of the Year. And he also thanked his players for the level of performances they have delivered in City's charge for silverware.
“First of all, I want to share it with my fellow nominees. They have all done an incredible job this season. This trophy is not normally awarded for how good a manager you are, but for what you win," he said.
"I am at an incredible football club and without all of the support that I have had throughout my time here, this would not have been possible. Of course, I also want to thank all of the players for the incredible job that they have done to help us this season.”
Iconic former United captain Gary Neville believes that Guardiola can put himself on an equal standing with Ferguson if he wins the treble. He labelled the Spaniard a "worthy companion" to his former manager.
“Sir Alex Ferguson deserves to be the only manager in history to have done the treble because he’s the greatest but if Pep Guardiola joined him, he’d be a worthy companion, because I think he is equal of what Sir Alex Ferguson achieved," he told The Times.
“If you think what he did at Barcelona then Bayern Munich, and what he’d do at City with the treble... I mean, when we talk about greatness. He would be a worthy companion to Sir Alex and his players would be worthy companions of our Manchester United treble team."
