Pep Lijnders Joins Manchester City as Assistant Coach

Pep Lijnders, formerly an assistant to Jürgen Klopp, has been appointed as part of Pep Guardiola’s new coaching team at Manchester City. This move comes as the club also seeks to enhance its coaching staff with the addition of a new set-piece specialist sourced from Liverpool.

Lijnders steps in as assistant coach, taking over from Juanma Lillo, who departed from City last month following the end of his contract. The 42-year-old began his coaching career at Liverpool in 2014, starting as a youth coach before ascending to assistant manager under Brendan Rodgers, a role he maintained after Klopp took the helm in 2015.

After a brief tenure managing NEC Nijmegen in 2018, Lijnders returned to Liverpool as Klopp’s assistant until both left the club in 2024.

Following his time at Liverpool, he managed Red Bull Salzburg but was dismissed just six months later due to a disappointing season start.

Additionally, Manchester City has appointed James French as its new set-piece coach, following his transition from Liverpool, where he served for over a decade as an opposition analyst. French will replace Carlos Vicens in managing set-piece situations after Vicens left to take the head coach position at Braga in Portugal.

Another assistant to Guardiola, Iñigo Dominguez, recently left the coaching staff as well.

Both Lijnders and French will accompany Manchester City to the Club World Cup in the United States, where they will kick off their campaign against Morocco’s Wydad next Wednesday.

In addition, City has invested over £100 million during the transfer window to bolster its squad following an unusual trophyless season. This includes the arrivals of Lyon’s attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan, alongside left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri, who transferred from Wolverhampton Wanderers in a five-year deal valued at £31.2 million, with additional payments of £5.1 million.