Chris Smalling says he doesn’t care about Pep Guardiola taking over at Manchester City but does welcome the best coaches working in the Premier League.
Guardiola will replace Manuel Pellegrini as City manager at the end of the season after hugely successful spells in charge of Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Despite Guardiola’s formidable record as a coach, Smalling isn’t too worried about Manchester United losing their traditional stranglehold over their local rivals.
When asked about whether he cares about Guardiola’s appointment, Smalling told Soccer AM:
“No we don’t really in terms of who’s managing Manchester City or who’s coming and going. It doesn’t affect us. City will always have a top manager, as will we. It’s good to see the best coaches and players want to work in England – so we welcome it.”
Guardiola had also been linked with a move to United as speculation mounted over Louis van Gaal’s future at Old Trafford.
Van Gaal has come under fire for some disappointing United performances this season, but results have turned lately with back-to-back wins easing the pressure on the manager’s shoulders.
Van Gaal’s forthright personality has also been criticised but Smalling revealed that the United squad have a better relationship with their manager than many people think.
He said: “He’s got his way of working and a philosophy. But what people don’t see is the communication we have amongst the players. We have meetings about how we’ll press a team or how certain players play and he’s willing to listen to us players’ opinions, so we can work together. I think in those terms our work-relationship is definitely improving.”
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