Manchester City coach Carlos Vicens will stay working as part of the first team backroom staff after a new job was cancelled by mutual consent before he officially started.
Vicens moved up from the role of Under-18s coach to become part of Pep Guardiola's team for this season, and is credited with the dramatic transformation in set-pieces that ultimately enabled the Blues to win the Premier League. Turning a weakness into one of their major strengths brought City the best set-piece record in Premier league history, as they pipped Liverpool by a single point in the final standings.
The work done by Vicens was spotted by Dutch side Heracles Almelo, who announced last month that they had hired him to be their new head coach in time for the new season. However, an unexpected relegation from the Eredivisie triggered circumstances that have caused both parties to rethink their agreement and cancel the arranged plan.
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“We have discussed extensively with Carlos the situation that has arisen after the club's relegation," explained Nico-Jan Hoogma, director of technical affairs at Heracles Almelo. "From both sides we felt doubts and doubts we can not use.
"We have to do everything we can to let Heracles Almelo return to the Eredivisie and we need all the focus for that. In addition, Carlos was given the opportunity to return to Manchester City and we do not want to deprive him of that."
Vicens will therefore continue his work as part of Guardiola's backroom staff, although as they have shown City will not stand in the coach's way if another opportunity arises.
