Pep Guardiola finally replaces Mikel Arteta as he brings in Juanma Lillo - his former boss and a man he calls 'the maestro'

Pep Guardiola finally replaces Mikel Arteta as he brings in Juanma Lillo - his former boss and a man he calls 'the maestro' - to be his assistant at Manchester City

Manchester City are set to appoint Pep Guardiola's old mentor Juanma Lillo as their new assistant manager.

Lillo - a Spaniard who has held roles at Real Sociedad, Chile and Sevilla - briefly managed Guardiola at Mexican side Dorados Sinaloa in 2006.

The pair first met in the 1990s, with Lillo a tactician in a similar mould to the City boss and their mutual hero, Johan Cruyff.

Pep Guardiola is set to add old mentor Juanma Lillo to his coaching staff next season

The 54-year-old managed Sevilla and is currently coaching Chinese sideu00a0Qingdao Huanghai

The 54-year-old managed Sevilla and is currently coaching Chinese side Qingdao Huanghai

Lillo, who managed Guardiola in Mexico, will take over from Mikel Arteta as assistant manager

JUANMA LILLO MANAGERIAL CAREER

1981–1985 Amaroz KE

1985–1988 Tolosa

1988–1989 Mirandés

1990–1991 Mirandés

1991–1992 Cultural Leonesa

1992–1996 Salamanca

1996–1997 Oviedo

1998 Tenerife

2000 Zaragoza

2003–2004 Ciudad Murcia

2004–2005 Terrassa

2005–2006 Dorados Sinaloa

2008–2009 Real Sociedad

2009–2010 Almería

2014 Millonarios

2015–2016 Chile (assistant)

2016–2017 Sevilla (assistant)

2017 Atlético Nacional

2018–2019 Vissel Kobe

2019– Qingdao Huanghai

Guardiola has described Lillo as a 'maestro' and his spell in Mexico is credited with setting him up for the subsequent trophy-laden years at Barcelona.