Manchester City have strengthened their coaching team with the addition of former Liverpool assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders and set-piece specialist James French, the club confirmed on Tuesday.
Lijnders, who worked under both Brendan Rodgers and Jürgen Klopp at Anfield, joins Pep Guardiola’s backroom team alongside French, who served at Liverpool for over a decade. Their arrival comes in the wake of three recent staff departures from Guardiola’s technical setup.
The 42-year-old Dutch coach briefly took over as head coach at Red Bull Salzburg following his exit from Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season, but was dismissed in December after a short stint in Austria.
City’s director of football Hugo Viana praised the appointments, stating: “Pepijn and James bring with them a wealth of experience and tactical insight. Their dedication, professionalism and footballing principles are completely in tune with Pep’s vision of the game.”
The appointments mark a reshuffle at City following a disappointing 2024/25 campaign in which Guardiola’s side finished third in the Premier League and failed to win a trophy for the first time in eight seasons.
Manchester City are now turning their focus to the revamped 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, which kicks off in the United States on 14 June. City will begin their title defence four days later when they take on Moroccan champions Wydad Casablanca in Philadelphia.
