Pep Guardiola: I spoke to Zlatan Ibrahimovic to his face

Pep Guardiola says he always spoke to Zlatan Ibrahimovic face to face and not behind his back - like how the striker criticised the former Barcelona manager. 

“Ibrahimovic used his book to explain what he believes, he had some things to say,” Guardiola explained, ahead of the Manchester derby which pits his City against a United featuring Zlatan. 

“Always I was clear. Whatever I said to him I spoke face to face. I never used the media to explain what I wanted from him on the pitch.”

Pep did, however, praise the forward in football terms. 

"I have a lot of respect for Zlatan and what he has done in the football world and his career,” Guardiola said. 

“He has had a big impact everywhere he has been and he is an amazing talent, one of the best around. The best players always have an impact. The big players always bring their talent to a club immediately. You can see they don’t need time to adapt to a new league or understand another country.”