The Italian enjoyed two successful spells at the City Football Academy, guiding our Elite Development Squad to the first of three successive Premier League 2 titles.
He would return in 2022 after a brief stint in charge of Parma, joining Guardiola’s coaching staff ahead of our historic Treble-winning campaign, before guiding Leicester back to the top flight at the first attempt in 2023/24.
Now, Maresca has been appointed Chelsea manager ahead of the new season, and Pep is delighted to have witnessed his rise through the ranks ahead of Saturday’s meeting in Columbus, Ohio.
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He said: “I am really pleased. We spent a special one year, but more when he was in the second team, he is an incredibly lovely person, him and his family.
“He did a really good job at Leicester. I wish him all the best because he deserves it. Nice people deserve the best.
“As a manager to have success, the most important thing is you must believe in something deeply and no matter the results, stick with the idea.
“That’s why he believes in what he does. He will have success - I don’t know how long, but he will have it.”
Hear the boss’ thoughts in full via the video above…
USA TOUR 2024
Our final pre-season clash against Chelsea is available to watch on CITY+ in the following regions:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vietnam
And if purchasing CITY+ via the Man City App on iOS: Albania, Armenia, Cambodia, Georgia, Iceland, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.
For fans outside of the countries named, we will have a full explainer article on how to watch each match coming in due course.
To access these matches from one of the locations listed above, you will need an active CITY+ subscription.
CITY+ is available via an annual subscription of £34.99 a year, saving you £24 on our monthly offering.
Choose monthly and pay £4.99 a month with the option to cancel anytime.
Official Cityzens and Season Ticket Members can subscribe annually for £30 a year, a saving of £29.
*Tour matches will not be available to watch on our TV app.
