'I've played under Mourinho, Pochettino and Conte but Man City's next manager is much better'

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Enzo Maresca has been rated above a trio of managerial greats as he prepares to succeed Pep Guardiola at Manchester City . The former Chelsea boss looks set to take charge at the Etihad after Guardiola brings the curtain down on his glorious Etihad reign.

The 46-year-old, who was an assistant to Guardiola during City's treble-winning campaign in 2022-23, has been out of work since leaving Stamford Bridge in January. His departure from Chelsea came after he reportedly informed the club he had been in contact with City about taking over from Guardiola.

In between his spells at City and Chelsea, Maresca led Leicester City to the Championship title in 2023-24. A key player from that team was Harry Winks, who played under Mauricio Pochettino , Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte at Tottenham .

For the midfielder, that star-studded list is topped by Maresca, who has "got everything." Winks told Sky Sports in 2024: "[He's] by far the best manager I've worked for, he's incredible. I think everyone will say he's going right to the top, he's got everything.

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"He's a great man manager, he's tactically incredible. Some of the decisions he tells us to do before the game and how you view the matches and it's something that I've never experienced before in football."

Tellingly, Winks highlighted the similarities with Guardiola's style of play. He added: "It's opened my eyes a lot to football and the way it's played, that kind of Pep Guardiola style as well, who he worked with for a very long time.

"I'm loving my football, it works perfectly for me, it's exactly the kind of football that I want to play and I buy into and since he's come in I've learned so much and will continue to do that."

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Leicester's fortunes have nose-dived since Maresca left for Chelsea in the summer of 2024, with the Foxes now finding themselves in League One, while Winks has clashed with fans.

Maresca will have a huge act to follow after one of the most successful managerial reigns in English football history. Since Guardiola's appointment in 2016, City have won 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League .

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They have also won the FA Cup three times and the Carabao Cup five times, including both competitions this season. They remain in contention for the Premier League title and face Bournemouth on Tuesday, hoping to take the race with Arsenal to the final weekend.

At a press conference to preview the game at Bournemouth , Guardiola referenced both the "one more year" on his contract and a hypothetical new three-year deal. Yet, as he has on several occasions, he stopped short of explicitly stating he would remain at City next term.