Respected football pundit and former player Gary Neville has given his thoughts on which manager between Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola had a bigger impact on the Premier League.
Manchester City won a fourth straight Premier League, and sixth in eight years under Guardiola when they beat West Ham United last Sunday.
Naturally, talk after the game was about Guardiola’s record compared to that of Ferguson, who led a great Manchester United side to 13 title wins in the Premier League era.
On his Stick to Football podcast alongside Roy Keane, Ian Wright and Jamie Carragher, Neville acknowledged that what Guardiola has done in the time he has been in the league slightly should put him ahead of the legendary Scot, the 115 charges the club faces put a dark mark on the his record.
Ranking the five greatest managers in Premier League history, Neville put Ferguson at the top of his list, followed by Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger and Jurgen Klopp.
“'What Pep has done, in not even a short period of time, you can't deny that if someone put Pep top,” said the former England defender, who made over 600 appearances for Manchester United.
“If someone said Pep Guardiola was top, I wouldn't say your wrong. I'm likely to go with Sir Alex anyways aren't I, and I certainly don't want to mention the 115 charges [against Manchester City]. Until that's cleared, I think we do have to have a little bit of a "but" until that's cleared.
He elaborated by saying: “You're measuring him being the best based on his success, but his success would have been built on foundations that were rule-breaking if they are found guilty. That's the foundation.”
According to a New York Times report, the hearings on whether Manchester City broke financial rules will kick off in October of this year, and an outcome is expected either in late 2024, or early 2023.
Should they be found guilty, the Eastlands club face expulsion from the Premier League.
IOL Sport