Guardiola won´t distract United – Vidic

Former Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic insists the club will not become distracted from their own development when Pep Guardiola takes charge at Manchester City.

The Bayern Munich head coach will replace Manuel Pellegrini at the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season, having agreed a three-year deal with the 2014 Premier League champions.

Guardiola’s arrival has been viewed as a major coup for City as they aim to establish supremacy over their local rivals, but Vidic says his old club will not be giving much thought to the former Barcelona boss’ arrival.

“I believe he wants to be part of the best league in the world,” the recently retired defender told MUTV. “All top players and the managers want to be part of English football. That’s great for the players, the fans and for everyone who loves English football, but we only look at ourselves and we are not really focusing on what City does.

“That was my mentality at United and what I learned when I was there. We always look at ourselves and try to make the best possible situation from our capabilities.”

Guardiola’s first taste of the Manchester derby will be in the International Champions Cup in China prior to the start of next season.

While the game amounts to little more than a pre-season friendly, Vidic believes it will be the perfect opportunity for some United youngsters to follow in the footsteps of Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard and force their way into Louis van Gaal’s first team.

“They’re very important for them to test themselves and it’s important for the club to see if they can play at the top level,” Vidic said. “We’ve seen this year some young players who I think have done well.

“Players like Rashford, Lingard and [Anthony] Martial are three players I believe have the potential to play for many years for United.”