While presenting the LMA Manager of the Year award to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, the Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson jokingly quips, “It’s sore, isn’t it? It’s really sore.” This was the third time the Spanish manager has won the prestigious prize in his illustrious career, the first since 2021 after he was beaten to it by Jurgen Klopp last season.
The 13-time Premier League-winning manager of Manchester United also made a similar kind of remark when the Liverpool boss received the award last year. “I say this is agony, absolute agony. Jurgen Klopp (wins the League Managers Association Manager of the Year),” the Scot said.
Later in the League Managers Association (LMA) event, the 81-year-old went on to praise Pep Guardiola for improving the Manchester City team year after year and helping them win Championships consistently. He also acknowledged the quality of performances of City players, especially in the attacking front.
Ferguson was quoted as saying, “He's created a team that's improved every year and winning three championships in a row tells you the story. Their performances, in the latter part, when it really means something, have been top class.”
Meanwhile, the 52-year-old boss of Manchester City talked about what it means to win the LMA Manager of the Year award. He said, “Thank you so much for this amazing award, Sir Alex Ferguson Trophy for the LMA Manager of the Year. I want to share it, first of all, (with) my fellow nominees, (with) all the managers in the UK, but especially Mikel Arteta, Eddie Howe, Unai Emery, Marco Silva, Gary O’Neill, more of them of course, they have done an incredible job this season.”
Furthermore, earlier, Pep Guardiola also won the Premier League Manager of the Year award for guiding Manchester City to their third successive title.