Former Barcelona midfielder Giovanni van Bronckhorst is set to become the new manager for New York City FC, with Manchester City looking to give him the chance to prove he could replace Pep Guardiola somewhere down the line.
NYCFC are owned by the same company - the City Football Group - as Premier League champions City, and they are currently looking for a new manager following the resignation of Domènec Torrent.
As noted by The Mirror, Van Bronckhorst has been working inside the City Football Group to learn about life at City, observing Guardiola's training sessions, and City are now prepared to give him the chance to continue his development by taking charge of NYCFC.
Guardiola's contract expires in 2022, and City want to ensure that they are fully prepared in case the Spaniard leaves. They are looking for someone with a similar footballing philosophy to Guardiola, and they believe that Van Bronckhorst could be the perfect candidate.
It would not be his first management role. He spent four years in charge of Dutch side Feyenoord between 2015 and 2019, in which he actually led the club to their first Eredivisie title in 18 years in just his second season in charge.
He was hoping to take a year out of management following his departure from Feyenoord, but he would be happy to take the role at NYCFC as he wants to eventually take up a more prominent position as part of the City Football Group.
City have previously used NYCFC as a developmental club for managers. They put former midfielder Patrick Vieira in charge between 2016 and 2018, but the Frenchman has since moved on to Nice, so City are looking for another option.
They see Van Bronckhorst as a perfect replacement for Guardiola. The former Barcelona star has modelled his game on the great Johan Cruyff, and City are understood to be impressed with his development in recent years.
They are also considering current assistant boss Mikel Arteta as a potential replacement for Guardiola, and it appears as though they are prepared to give both Arteta and Van Bronckhorst plenty of chances to stake their claims to become the next City boss.
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Source :
90min
