Sir Alex Ferguson says he expects Pep Guardiola to be a success when he takes over at Manchester City next season.

The former Manchester United manager admitted that City have pulled off a big coup in landing the current Bayern Munich boss to succeed Manuel Pellegrini.

Ferguson has warned Guardiola that English football will not be easy and while he expects the Spaniard to be a success, the Scot doubts if he will ever be able to replicate the success of his time in charge at Barcelona.

Ferguson says the great foreign managers that have succeeded in England will attest to how tough management in the Premier League can be.

“Man City have made a real coup in getting him but Pep won’t find it easy, English football is not easy,” he told Sky Sports.

“Every foreign coach that has come to England will tell you that. Arsene Wenger was talking about that a few months after coming and even Jose Mourinho was.”

Ferguson’s Man United twice lost Champions League finals to Guardiola’s Barcelona team.

While he predicts that the new Man City boss will be a success, Ferguson has reservations about any team matching the feats of that Barcelona generation that defeated his Red Devils in 2009 in Rome and two years later at Wembley.

“Pep will be a success but I don’t think he’ll ever replicate what he did at Barcelona because that was a high standard – they were the best,” he added.

Guardiola is 3.50 to sign off his time in Germany by leading Bayern to Champions League glory this season.

His former club Barcelona are 2.50 to retain the trophy while his next employer Manchester City are 19.00 to prevail.