Enzo Maresca to Replace Pep Guardiola as Manchester City Manager

Enzo Maresca will take over as Manchester City manager from the 2026/27 season, stepping into one of the most demanding jobs in modern football as the Pep Guardiola era finally draws to a close.

Guardiola’s decision to walk away after 10 years and 20 trophies has forced City into a full reset at the Etihad Stadium. The Catalan will not be the only key figure heading for the exit. Pep Lijnders, his assistant, will also leave at the end of the season.

Lijnders chooses his own road

Lijnders’ time in Manchester has been short, frantic and closely watched. He arrived only in June 2025, fresh from his long and decorated spell working alongside Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool, and immediately injected intensity into City’s training ground routines.

City’s hierarchy saw him as a pillar for the future. As Guardiola confirmed his intention to end a decade of dominance, the club drew up plans for life beyond the man who reshaped their identity. Those plans featured Lijnders prominently.

According to The Athletic’s James Pearce, City offered the 43-year-old a new long-term contract and a prominent role on Enzo Maresca’s staff. The message was clear: stay, help bridge eras, and become a key voice in the next chapter.

He said no.

Lijnders, keen to step out of the assistant’s shadow and build something of his own, has chosen to leave alongside Guardiola rather than serve under the incoming Italian. The club wanted him to stay. He wants a different challenge.

End of a brief, intense spell

So his City story will close almost as quickly as it began. One season. High energy. High expectations. No soft landing.

On Sunday, after the final Premier League game of the season at home to Aston Villa, Lijnders will say his goodbyes to players and staff at the Etihad. The club lose not just Guardiola’s authority, but also the tactical and emotional link Lijnders provided between one heavyweight dugout and the next.

City will move on with Maresca. Lijnders will look for a new project this summer, this time as the man in charge.

Two departures. One new era. And a club about to discover what it really looks like without Pep Guardiola on the touchline.