Guardiola finds his replacement for Mikel Arteta in China – Coach once described Man City boss as a ‘son’

Qingdao Huanghai coach Juanma Lillo is set to leave the Chinese club, to join Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s new number two.

That’s according to Marca, who say Guardiola has finally found his replacement for Mikel Arteta, who left to join Arsenal last year.

The Manchester City boss has been on the lookout for a new assistant manager since Arteta went his own way.

A whole host of names have been linked with the position, most of them former players, some of whom have worked under Guardiola, including Xabi Alonso and Vincent Kompany.

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However, it will be the relatively unknown Lillo who takes up the position according to Marca, who report he has already terminated his contract with his current club Qingdao Huanghai, to make a move to the Etihad.

They report that the Spanish coach has been friends with Guardiola for ‘many years’, with the City coach having travelled to Mexico in 2006 to coach for Lillo at Dorados de Sinaloa.

Indeed, Lillo even referred to Guardiola as his ‘son’ in an interview in 2012, indicating a close relationship with the Manchester City boss.

That relationship is now set to get even closer, with Lillo expected to travel to England ‘in the coming days’ to ‘acclimatise’ to his new city before taking up his position as Guardiola’s right-hand man.