Pep Guardiola has already warned Julen Lopetegui amid Manchester United links

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has already warned Manchester United-linked Julen Lopetegui that a string of bad results can spell doom.

The Sevilla manager has been linked with the manager's job at Old Trafford as the United hierarchy narrow down their list of candidates for the position. Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino are among the possible suitors, with Spain head coach Luis Enrique also said to be on the list.

Lopetegui saw his stock fall dramatically after being sacked by Real Madrid back in 2018. The Spaniard lasted just four months at the helm of Los Blancos before being replaced by Santiago Solari.

Having joined Sevilla the summer after he was sacked by Real, Lopetegui has done a stellar job at the La Liga side, leading them to Europa League victory in 2020 and building a side capable of challenging for the title. However, his short stint at Real no doubt still hurts and he'd likely be under similar pressure at United - something Guardiola reminded him of shortly after his Bernabeu dismissal.

READ MORE: Julen Lopetegui's past Man United admission amid manager job shortlist reports

"I want to call him in the next few days," Guardiola said. "It is what it is.

"It's football, nobody escapes that. When you have bad results you will not continue in big, big places like Barcelona or Madrid.

"Football I know what it is, we are still here because we win games, if we don't win we will be sacked. I'm sorry for Julen because he's a friend of mine. He's an exceptional person."

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