Lijnders, Kolo Touré, fitness coach Lorenzo Buenaventura, head of operations Manel Estiarte and goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor have all left the Etihad Stadium following the end of Guardiola's ten-year reign. Enzo Maresca, confirmed as Guardiola's successor on a three-year contract, will bring in his own backroom staff.
Speaking to Dutch publication AD, Lijnders described the call that brought him to City last summer in detail. He had left Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season alongside Jürgen Klopp, then took the head coach role at RB Salzburg before being dismissed in December 2024.
"When Pep called in May last year, he was immediately open," Lijnders said. "He said: 'I want to build a new City one more time.'"
Guardiola told Lijnders clearly that this was not a long-term project — he was in his final two years of his contract. He then outlined three specific things he needed from the man he was bringing in.
"Guardiola was looking for three things specifically," Lijnders said. "A coach by his side who would challenge him with fresh ideas, a more aggressive playing style to survive in the increasingly physical Premier League, and innovation on the training pitch."
The description of how Guardiola functions day-to-day was revealing.
"He is very intense. Every day we were busy from morning until evening. He approaches creating a match plan like a surgeon performs heart surgery: extremely meticulously, checking every vital part with tweezers. And, just like Klopp, he has genuine love for his players. That, that love, is what distinguishes the absolute top coaches from the rest."
On the decision to leave, Lijnders cited his family. He and his wife want stability in the Netherlands for their sons, and a second year at City was never seriously considered on those terms.
"Moving back to England for years is no longer an option," he said. "Without my family, I wouldn't do a second year anyway."
City offered him a position on Maresca's staff or the chance to become head coach at a club within the City Football Group. He has declined both for now.
Touré, the former Arsenal and Manchester City defender, had joined Guardiola's staff in the summer after working with City's development teams. Buenaventura and Estiarte had followed Guardiola across his entire career at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City. Mancisidor joined City in 2013 under Manuel Pellegrini and remained for thirteen years.
Set-piece coach James French, who arrived alongside Lijnders last summer, is the one member of the recent additions who will remain into the Maresca era.