Pep Guardiola's meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson and Man United icon's Ruben Amorim opinion

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim had both had private conversations with Sir Alex Ferguson prior to their Manchester Derby clash

Sir Alex Ferguson once wanted Pep Guardiola to be his successor(Image: John Peters, Manchester United via Getty Images)

Sir Alex Ferguson is no stranger to having private chats with either Pep Guardiola or Ruben Amorim.

Guardiola's Manchester City side trounced rivals Manchester United, managed by Amorim, in a 3-0 victory in Sunday afternoon's Manchester derby. Despite both clubs having a history of vast Premier League success, neither had started the season impressively before Guardiola's team defeated the Red Devils this weekend.

City, despite already suffering two losses, now find themselves in eighth place following the derby win. Less surprisingly, given United's decline since Ferguson's retirement in 2013 and a dismal 15th-place finish last season, Amorim's Red Devils have slipped to 14th position.

It's entirely possible that the Portuguese head coach may have sought advice from Sir Alex ahead of the short journey to the Etihad Stadium. That’s because of Amorim's revelation last January, during United's turbulent campaign, that he was regularly in contact with the 83-year-old.

The fact that Amorim has been able to tap into Ferguson's extensive knowledge suggests there is a relatively close relationship between them and that Ferguson is keen to help the young head coach.

"I speak with Sir Alex several times. I try to call him to keep being positive," Amorim revealed to BBC Radio 5 Live. "It's really good because I feel the history of the club but it's really hard, as they did such a good job, to be the guy leading the team at this moment. It's really hard but we have to believe."

Pep Guardiola and Ruben Amorim went head-to-head on Sunday(Image: Getty Images)

In the opposition dugout on Sunday was a man whom Ferguson will also know well. The Scot had formerly handpicked David Moyes as his successor, only for his compatriot to be sacked less than a year into the United job in 2014.

After Moyes' exit, Ryan Giggs took over as interim manager before Louis van Gaal was appointed permanently. However, it seems that prior to Van Gaal's appointment, Ferguson attempted to rectify his previous decision by apparently trying to bring in Pep Guardiola, then at Bayern Munich and considered the world's best manager.

Guardiola, who ironically joined Manchester City in 2016 and has since clinched six Premier League titles, recalled being invited to a private meeting by Ferguson, where he wasn't certain if the legendary Scotsman was offering him the United job or not.

"He invited me to [a] super restaurant and we had a very, very good time. My English [was] not so good when Sir Alex [Ferguson] spoke a little bit quickly, I had sometimes had a problem understanding him," said Guardiola.

"That's why I didn't understand if I received an offer or not. It was a friendly dinner, like always with me when I started as a coach, he was so, so gentle and we spent a very, very good time together."

Ferguson boasted a record of 26 victories, 10 draws, and 11 defeats in Manchester derbies. Guardiola, meanwhile, has won nine of his 16 league clashes with the Red Devils but had lost both times he faced Amorim last year. One of those losses was against Sporting CP in the Champions League, while the other was against United last December.