Just before Pep Guardiola took charge of Manchester City for the first time in August 2016, Sir Alex Ferguson sat down with Sky Sports to give his thoughts on how the Catalan would fare in England. Ferguson knew all too well how good a coach Guardiola was as his Barcelona side had destroyed United in two Champions League finals, but he still had some cautionary words for the man, who he mistakenly called 'Pepe'.
"Pepe without question has got a fantastic work ethic about him, he's got a great coaching ability, there's no doubt about that, but it'll be difficult to replicate what he did at Barcelona," Ferguson warned. "Man City have done a real coup in getting him because he's an outstanding coach, but Pepe won't find it as easy. English football is not easy, every foreign coach who comes to England will tell you that.
"He will be a success but I don't think he'll ever replicate what he did at Barcelona. Because Pep's gone there it's not a guarantee they can win the league without question, that's the beauty of our league."
Ferguson was right about Guardiola's debut season in England, when City finished third and failed to win any trophies. But since then he has been proven emphatically wrong, as Guardiola has made English football look rather easy indeed.
And after winning his sixth Premier League title in seven years and a historic fourth consecutive crown, it's time to ask whether Guardiola is a better coach than Ferguson himself. The truth might make uncomfortable reading for the legendary Scot and Manchester United fans...