'Glad to see the back of him' - rival fans on Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has won 17 major trophies with Manchester City, including six Premier League titles and a Champions League

A likeable "nemesis" and a man with "direct influence" on the clubs around him. The builder of a "juggernaut" but not the Premier League's greatest.

There is hope of a power shift in Manchester, while on Merseyside some hope Pep Guardiola's exit at Manchester City means the gap to catch up gets smaller.

Rival fans have told BBC Sport how Guardiola impacted their own standards, shaped their own clubs and - perhaps unsurprisingly - why there will be relief in some quarters to see the back of him.

Manchester United fan Alex Turk from Turk Talks FC, external

On 8 May 2013 the football world rejoiced when the news came through that Sir Alex Ferguson was walking away from Manchester United and into retirement.

After 38 trophies in 27 years, you could understand the relief.

Now, with City confirming Guardiola is on his way out, the feeling is mutual.

Praise for anything related to City understandably comes with hesitation while 115 charges for alleged financial rule breaches linger, but Guardiola's Ferguson-like thirst for lifting silverware, and his undoubted influence on the English game, cannot be ignored.

A total of 20 trophies across 10 years should make it no surprise that we are glad to see the back of him.

It's not quite Ferguson, and calls for Guardiola to be recognised as the Premier League's greatest manager are purely reactionary.

That said, there is admittedly a layer of respect that seldom leaks out.

Guardiola has watched four United managers come and go during his time in Manchester, yet he has always shown this great club the respect it demands.

In another life, he was the chosen one, not David Moyes. Where would that have taken us?

It is fitting how, 15 minutes before the confirmation of Guardiola's departure, United announced Michael Carrick's appointment as permanent head coach.

I would be lying if I said there wasn't hope of City suffering the same hangover we did after Ferguson's departure.

If United and Carrick get it right this summer, there is a serious opportunity for the hierarchy of power in Manchester to change.

Liverpool fan Josh Sexton can be found on outlets including The Anfield Wrap, external

It comes to something when your long-time nemesis says it is time to move on and you actually feel a little bit sad about it.

It feels like a chapter of English football is truly closing.

I actually grew to quite like Guardiola - a feeling made easier by Liverpool refusing to be any competition to his team this season.

Between his compassionate politics and his increasingly funny news conferences, the man who became the bane of our existence has started to cut a much more likeable figure.

Yes, there are caveats to City's success, but there are very few doubts about Guardiola's greatness as a manager.

After Jurgen Klopp left Anfield in 2024, it seemed only natural that the man he went toe to toe with for so many years would move on fairly soon after.

The truth is, the standards those two managers set would warp our perception of what a normal title-winning points total looks like.