Everton manager Ronald Koeman has claimed that his friendship with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will be put on hold this Saturday when their respective clubs go head to head in the Premier League.

Koeman shared a room with Guardiola during his playing career at Barcelona, and he has revealed that the pair formed a friendship that still remains intact.

"They are all good memories," Koeman said in a press conference. "We are really strong friends. Now it's a little bit more easy because he is living in Manchester, I live close to Manchester and sometimes we have time to have dinner and to talk about football and life, but of course, we have spent many hours together talking about football.

"When he was younger he was really interested in the way that we play football in Holland and I see a lot now in the teams managed by Pep about Barcelona, about Dutch football and I like that because that's the most difficult way to win - to play offensive football and to win titles. We are friends. I wish them all the best, but not on Saturday."

Four points currently separate the two teams in the league table, with City leading the way at the top and Everton residing in fifth place.