Manchester City to unveil Guardiola this weekend

Matt Stead

Manchester City fans will get a first chance to glimpse Pep Guardiola at close quarters when their new manager is unveiled this weekend.

The 45-year-old Catalan is replacing Manuel Pellegrini in the Etihad hotseat and will address City supporters “under the shadow of the new badge” at Manchester Town Hall on Sunday, the club has announced.

Guardiola’s presentation represents the culmination of a free two-day fan event in the city, organised to mark the start of an “exciting new chapter” in the club’s history.

City chief executive officer Ferran Soriano said: “At Manchester City, we are embarking on an exciting new chapter in our history and we wanted to create an event that would allow thousands of fans to celebrate and participate in this, both here in Manchester and around the world.

“‘Cityzens Weekend’ will provide the perfect setting for fans to welcome our new manager, Pep Guardiola, to the club and see the new kit and badge come to life across the Etihad Campus. We look forward to welcoming fans over the weekend and entering this new era together.”

Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich head coach Guardiola, who has secured 12 major trophies since 2009, revealed he had agreed to join City back in February.