Dante rows back on Guardiola barbs

Former Bayern Munich defender Dante has distanced himself from apparent criticism of Pep Guardiola – describing the Manchester City boss as an “exceptional coach”.

Dante played under Guardiola for two seasons at Bayern before joining Wolfsburg in 2015.

The Brazilian centre-back completed a switch to Nice in Ligue 1 last week and followed a number of his ex-colleagues by passing judgement on Guardiola following the latter’s impressive start in the Premier League.

In an interview with Sport Bild, Dante seemingly criticised the Spaniard for having a distant relationship with his squads, but later posted a statement on Twitter to clarify his comments.

“I was misunderstood a bit,” he said. “What I meant was that Pep is a tactically exceptional coach, but he is less with the players I was used to from my previous coaches there.

“I respect Pep and am grateful for everyone who has helped me through [my career]. I would never speak negatively about these special people.”

Dante could make his debut for Nice when they host Marseille in the French top flight next Sunday – a day after Guardiola’s first taste of the Manchester derby against United at Old Trafford.