Sport

Pep Guardiola in talks over first international management role

Can you see it happening?

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 20th July 2026

Football icon and Manchester City legend Pep Guardiola is reportedly set for his first job since leaving the Etihad Stadium, as the Catalan head coach looks like he could be set to make his move into international management.

The generational manager, who has undoubtedly become one of, if not the greatest of all time, left Man City at the end of last season after a decade in East Manchester.

Stepping away from the sky blue side with 20 trophies in 10 years, he’s won pretty much everything there is to win – at least at club level, anyway.

With that in mind, multiple outlets are now claiming that Guardiola is getting ready to make his debut on the international circuit, already being heavily linked with a role as part of ‘gli Azzurri’.

Yes, as per Sky News’ sporting arm over in Italy, Pep is now rumoured to be the next person to take the job in their national team, which would be his first proper senior position in international football.

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According to Sky, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) have already held meetings with the former Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City boss.

It remains unclear how advanced talks and/or negotiations have progressed up to this point, but it is said that fellow footballing veteran and AC Milan legend turned FIGC technical director, Paolo Maldini, has already travelled to meet the 55-year-old.

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Believed to have been joined by former teammate and right-hand man Leonardo Araújo – who previously served as director at PSG – it looks to be more a case of whether Pep wants the job rather than if Italy want him.

From announcing a documentary series covering his final season at Man City, to even launching a dedicated ‘Decade of Pep’ fashion collection, it’s fair to say that both the club and the fan base are bidding a bittersweet goodbye.

Manchester City release new ‘The Decade Collection’ celebrating 10 years of Pep Guardiola
See it in full.

Guardiola is already thought to have been the frontrunner for the England job before ultimately extending his stay with the City Football Group (CFG), and The FA had to turn to Thomas Tuchel.

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Pep has already made it clear that he can’t see himself ever managing the Spanish national team, remarking: “I am a Catalan. I don’t see myself ever managing Spain.”

Meanwhile, other names rumoured as options for the Italian manager’s job include Andrea Pirlo and a return by fellow ex-MCFC boss, Roberto Mancini. Can you see Pep pipping any of these to the post?

As for his former club and ‘second home’, Cityzens will be glad to hear that while it may be all change over at the Etihad Campus, there is plenty to be hopeful about – including some steps more in the right direction when it comes to tickets.

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Featured Images — Massimo Finizio/Steffen Prößdorf (via WikiCommons)/The Manc Group

Sport

P1 Fitness – The Manchester gym that strikes the perfect blend of PT and group-based coaching

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester gym classes group coaching P1 Fitness

We here at The Manc team are trying to get fit; it can be hard to find time for the gym when you’re busy, not to mention staying in shape when you’ve got a food scene as good as Manchester’s, which is exactly why P1 Fitness Studio is a perfect match for us.

Maybe you’ve fancied giving a personal trainer a go, or even tried a class or two, but perhaps the schedule, the price, the location or some other factor meant it wasn’t for you.

Whatever your reasoning, if you’re the kind of person who can admit they need a bit of a kick up the backside to get their arse in gear and actually stick at this gym lark, we can assure you this is an ideal place to build the right kinds of habits.

And trust us, they’ll keep pushing to make sure it sinks in.

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Top-end facilities, secure lockers, every bit of kit you’ll ever need and much more (Credit: The Manc)

Aside from the anti-ego environment in general – you won’t catch anyone staring at themselves in mirrors here – it’s also just nice to be around people with similar lifestyles.

Boasting tonnes of positive reviews online, P1 Fitness is a place for busy professionals who aren’t willing to let work and all other time-consuming parts of ‘adulting’ be an excuse to not carve out less than an hour to better themselves.

And for most people, that really is all it takes to start seeing a difference; two 50-minute sessions might not sound like a lot to some, but the effort you put in during the group workouts is more than enough to get the benefit.

They focus on quality, not quantity, making sure every day that you turn up is worthwhile, and no drop of sweat is wasted.

Better still, they keep the numbers low and even break off into smaller groups to explain and tailor workouts to suit each person.

It’s not just weekly blocks stuck on a wall that you have to stick to: everything is flexible, and they do try and give everyone as much one-on-one attention as possible from the P1 staff.

Here’s what some other members have had to say in their recent testimonials:

“The biggest difference isn’t that I’m fitter and stronger. It’s that I don’t have to think about it anymore. Before P1 I’d spend all week telling myself I needed to go to the gym, then I’d be too tired, it’d be busy, I didn’t know what to do, and I’d end up doing nothing and beating myself up about it.

“Now I just turn up twice a week. Someone tells me what to do, I get coached to do it right, then shower, go back to work and my fitness takes care of itself. It’s one less thing I have to worry about.”

Louise

“I genuinely thought I hated gyms. In fact, when I saw one, I used to cross the street to avoid it… Turns out I hated the ‘usuall’ gym experience. Wondering what I was supposed to be doing, fighting for equipment in the crowd and being self-conscious about my form.

“At P1, I simply walk in, everything’s ready – someone coaches me through the session, we have a laugh in the group, and before I know it I’m finished. I actually look forward to training now, which is crazy.

Damien

One of our very own, Lonnie, says it’s given him a sense of “structure, routine and a community” in the gym like never before, and added that “it’s become that third space where people can come together to better themselves in a fun and unique way.”

Abby is ever the hard-working, friendly face; her husband and fellow co-owner, Peter, is a ‘BFG’ who will always push you to your limits but knows when not to beast you; Ben is a great instructor with a great way of breaking down movements, and Mel is the smiling assassin who is as dedicated as she is smiley.

Then there’s Katie, who is somehow juggling a PhD and working at P1 part-time, all whilst being an absolute Duracell bunny of a trainer. All in all, you couldn’t ask for a better team.

Best of all, you can choose when to register for a session based not only on who you prefer working with, but whatever time suits you; you can even put your name down as last-gasp as you like – in fact, we’ve turned up with five minutes’ notice on more than one occasion.

It’s also great to see that they’re more than happy to roll out a mat or pick up a weight and properly get stuck in there with you.

small class based fitness coaching manchester
group gym classes manchester
Credit: P1 Fitness (supplied)

Put simply: much like you, all of these guys have their own special traits, but one thing they do all have in common is an incredible amount of drive and passion for the work they do, not to mention the knowledge and experience to back it up.

We’re not going to give you any harder of a sell than that; all we’ll say is that we’re feeling more positive about our current fitness journey than we have in a long time, and if you want to make similar progress, P1 might just be for you.

So, if you are truly looking to get fitter in a setting where consistency, accountability and community thrive, consider this your sign to finally get serious.

You can find out more and enquire about joining right HERE.

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p1 fitness coaching staff
You won’t find a friendlier team. (Credit: Supplied)

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Featured Images — The Manc Group

Sport

Manchester Metropolitan University announce landmark partnership with MCR Basketball

Danny Jones Danny Jones MMU MCR Basketball new partnership programmes

Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and Manchester Basketball have detailed a renewed and landmark partnership that looks set to nurture the next generation of talent.

Joining forces with MMU, this is not only the latest effort by MCR Basketball to further invest in young players and grassroots sports here in Manchester, but yet another example of further education creating viable routes into the game for their sporting stars of the future.

While the two organisations already boast an established relationship, this next step in their continued teamwork should prove even more fruitful for both parties, as the still only recently relaunched local basketball side looks to raise its profile in the city.

Confirming their intent to further intertwine their youth development setup and plans to innovate pathways for players, representatives from both met to confirm the announcement this week.

With existing coaching staff already working between the two and both of the male and female training camps based over at Platt Lane Sports Complex, it only feels like a natural fit.

Moreover, this increased collaboration between the two is also a promising prospect for MMU Sport, specifically, meaning much more than just the sharing of facilities at the likes of Platt Lane over in Fallowfield and the National Basketball Performance Centre at Belle Vue.

As well as pooled resources, this will also crucially create potential opportunities for those at the uni or preparing to graduate, including student internships and more.

Claire Bradbury, Manchester Basketball CEO, said in an official statement: “As basketball in Manchester enters a new era, we’re excited to formalise our partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University.

manchester basketball women's team
Credit: Peter Simmons (supplied)

“This is a true collaboration bringing together elite, professional basketball and leading academic sports expertise to create opportunities that support the development of players, staff and students.

Together we are investing in the future of basketball to grow the game in our region and working to establish the city of Manchester and Manchester Basketball as one of the leading basketball hubs in Europe.”

Man Met are looking pitch-perfect for the region’s leading ‘college ball’ feeder club, to use more American terminology, already.

They certainly look the part on social media:

Laura Hickman-Sparkes, MMU’s Head of Business Engagement and Partnerships at the Institute of Sport, went on to say: “Basketball is entering an incredibly exciting period, with growing participation, investment and visibility across Europe.”

For example, as well as the Super League Finals having been held at the AO Arena, the city is also most notably hosting a regular season NBA fixture at Co-op Live – a historic moment, to say the least.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Manchester Basketball at such an important time and look forward to creating opportunities for our students”, she adds, “supporting innovation through research and helping to grow the game across Manchester and beyond.”

In other MMU Sport-related news, their very own ‘Visiting Professor’, who has only just retired from the professional circuit, is also set to fly the flag for the institution and disabled athletes across the country.

Stockport Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey is going on Strictly Come Dancing 2026
A local legend and inspiration to us all.

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Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Manchester Basketball/Peter Simmons)

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