Graham Hunter knows Barcelona inside and out. He was there when Pep Guardiola served as the manager of the club during, possibly, the most fruitful period in their history. He has been there, done that and wrote the book on it. Literally.
Hunter was on Newstalk's Off The Ball and says he knows for a fact that Pep Guardiola was interested in the Manchester United job.
He said, "I know, factually, that it was his desire to be the next Manchester United manager once Louis van Gaal moved on."
Guardiola was even ready to wait for that time. Things change, however, in the world of football and Hunter suspects that one of two, or a combination of two, things have happened.
Number one is "that Manchester City have worked so consistently hard, and persuasively to lobby him that his mind has begun to change."
"Secondly, it seems clear from the briefing that Ed Woodward gave to the British Sunday media that for whatever reason they either don’t want Pep or they are not ready for him."
In what will break Manchester United fans' hearts, Hunter says, "I think that is a strategic error and these things are combining to mean that for the third time in his life when Pep Guardiola is seriously making eyes at life in Manchester and work at Old Trafford that it isn't going to happen for him."
The very problems that persist at Manchester United and could be fixed with a flick of the wrist on a Manchester United contract by Guardiola might not because of incompetency on behalf of United's directors.
Hunter says, "He wants risk, he wants verve, he wants to use possession to overload and to get superiority over opponents in a way that would fit what is missing at Manchester United."
The message of this parable is that when Pep Guardiola makes eyes at you from across the room, you ask him to dance. United, however, have two left feet and don't seem interested.
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