Pep Guardiola pays ultimate Sir Alex Ferguson compliment after Man Utd axe

Pep Guardiola has hailed Sir Alex Ferguson as football’s greatest-ever manager - and insisted he has no intention of staying at just to surpass the former boss.

At the end of a week when it was revealed that Ferguson had been axed from his £2million-a-year ambassadorial role at Old Trafford, Guardiola paid the 82-year-old Scot the ultimate compliment.

Guardiola is currently contemplating his own future at City after lifting the title six times in his eight seasons at the Etihad - including a record-breaking four-in-a-row.

Fergie guided United to 13 titles. It took him 26 years - but Guardiola claims he is happy just to be mentioned in the same conversation .

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Guardiola said: “In this country and all around the , Sir is the best. For the time, for the change of teams, for the trophies…

“Being close to one of the most important managers of all time is more than enough. It’s an incredible honour for me and for all the staff, all the assistants and all the players I’ve had. It’s not just an honour for me.

“When people say ‘Pep is one of the best’ that’s because of the players I had, the assistant managers and the assistant coaches - and we have had many. All of them create this sense that we are good - and that is enough. I don’t fight for anything else.

"For the United fans, it's always Sir Alex. Absolutely fine. I’m not saying I'm a bad manager, otherwise I could not be here for a long time and be a success. But to be the best or not the best, believe me, it's not important.

“So my contenders as a manager? made me a better manager, made me a better manager, now is making me a better manager. We need that, so it's happening. But to be the very best is not, I think, honestly, it's not the point.”

Guardiola is out of contract at the end of the season and City’s owners are trying to persuade him to take his reign to a decade and beyond by signing an extension.

But the Catalan will lose one of his closest confidantes in the summer when Txiki Begiristain steps down as director of football and will be replaced by Hugo Viana.

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