Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola says it’s only natural that he owes his predecessor Manuel Pellegrini some credit for his own success at the club.
Pellegrini, who won the Premier League in his first season with City, returns to the Etihad Stadium for the first time as his West Ham side face the champions on Wednesday evening.
Guardiola, who joined City from Bayern Munich, said he was unaware that his impending arrival caused such instability.
Guardiola said: “Of course, all the players I have in my hands now were with other managers. They learned a lot from that and I have benefited from that.
“In the last decade, they were involved with (Roberto) Mancini and Manuel (Pellegrini) and myself. All the staff and all the players, we have created Manchester City. I didn’t build it. I didn’t create it.
“Many incredible players and managers, everybody, did something. Hopefully we can leave something for the next manager.
“That’s the best we can do for other managers, leave something for the club and, of course, I got something with what Manuel did here.”
The closing stages of Pellegrini’s final season at City were played out in the knowledge that the Chilean would be making way for Guardiola in the summer of 2016.
Despite spells of inconsistency, Pellegrini has guided the London club to the top half of the table, and they remain within reach of a seventh-place ‘best-of-the-rest’ finish with 11 games remaining.
They are likely to face a tough challenge at City, who trail Liverpool by a point at the top of the table as they seek a second successive title under Guardiola, but the Spaniard said he expects City fans to give his predecessor the ovation “he deserves”.