Neil Warnock saw the funny side of his Cardiff team’s defeat at Manchester City last night, despite it leaving his side on the brink of relegation.
He even made a cheeky, joke transfer bid for one of the Blues’ team - possibly Fernandinho or Phil Foden - in the middle of the match, bringing puzzlement and then a wry grin from Pep Guardiola .
The Bluebirds boss had almost given up the ghost before the game, at one point threatening to play his under-23s, and then mentioning that after City they had “six winnable games”.
And with his team trailing 2-0 in the second half, Warnock was picked out by the TV cameras turning to City boss Guardiola and making a proposal.
The City boss took a moment to realise the Yorkshireman was kidding, and then muttered something back to him.
Asked afterwards what he had said to lighten the mood, Warnock said: “One of their lads thumped a long ball somewhere, so I said ‘What’s his name? I could sign him!’”
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TV pictures showed fourth official Michael Oliver laughing at the crack.
It is unclear to which player Warnock was referring – the joke came shortly after Fernandinho had headed a Riyad Mahrez cross high over the bar, but may have referred to Phil Foden’s earlier pass which ballooned out of play.
Warnock was unmoved last year when Guardiola said he expected to see more “long balls” when his side were facing Cardiff in the FA Cup.
But his joke seems to have been a gentle jab back at the City manager.
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