Guardiola: I was always straight with Ibrahimovic

 

The coach came in for harsh criticism in the star's autobiography on the back of their difficult time together at Barcelona but he is adamant he did not mislead the striker

Pep Guardiola has insisted he did not mislead Zlatan Ibrahimovic over his role in the Barcelona team as the Manchester United striker has claimed.

The pair suffered a falling out during their time together at Camp Nou and, in his autobiography, Ibrahimovic claimed Guardiola had "betrayed" him before selling him on.

But as they prepare to go face-to-face in Saturday's Manchester derby, the City manager denied that he had been dishonest during their time working together.

"He explained in his book about what he believes," Guardiola told reporters when asked about his relationship with Ibrahimovic.

"But always I was clear, I spoke with him always face-to-face - always. I never used the media to explain what I wanted from Zlatan on the pitch, never.

"The people can say many, many things, but I was so clear and direct to him."

Both Guardiola's City and Jose Mourinho's United have made perfect starts to the Premier League campaign and Saturday's winner will top the table outright should Chelsea fail to claim a fourth victory.