Pep Guardiola will finally make it to Wigan’s DW Stadium for competitive action tonight, 13 years after the Manchester City manager almost signed for the League One club as a player.

In one of the more surreal examples of alternate football histories, then-Wigan manager Paul Jewell actually thought he had agreed a deal for Guardiola, then 34, to move to Lancashire as the ex-Barcelona player sought a deal in England towards the end of his career.

Jewell’s hopes ended when Guardiola’s agent called to say he would instead be accepting a more lucrative offer in Qatar, before he eventually moved to Mexico, although tonight’s fifth round FA Cup tie at least gives the Catalan the chance to survey the surroundings he might once have called home.

“Yeah, it was years ago,” said Guardiola. “But I was not good enough! That is the truth, yeah.

“I was old, really old, as a football player to come here. I tried to come here to play in English football but I was not able. The same happened when I came here to Manchester City, with Stuart Pearce. They were so clever!

"They were so clever because I was not good enough!

“Wigan were interested in me, I didn't choose the club. It didn't happen and that's all.”

Paul Jewell was impressed with how much Guardiola knew about Wigan credit: Getty Images

Guardiola’s modesty not withstanding, Jewell recalled his conversation with the City manager differently, in a later interview.

“I got a call from Guardiola’s agent and he gave me Pep’s number so I rang him and left a message,” said Jewell. “Quite remarkably, five minutes later he rang me back. He knew all about Wigan, all about our players – I was really impressed.

“We had a terrific conversation and he told me he would like to come and play in the Premier League. His wages weren’t extortionate and he was all set to come when his agent called me a couple of days later saying Pep had received a mind-blowing offer from Qatar. So it was Qatar or Wigan.”

Wigan have fallen far from their eight-season stay in the Premier League which culminated, of course, in beating City in the 2013 FA Cup Final.

But victories in this season’s competition over Bournemouth and West Ham mean that Guardiola will treat the tie with caution although he is adamant that back-up goalkeeper Claudio Bravo remains his first choice for domestic cup competitions.

That guarantee seems to assure the Chilean of starting for City in Sunday’s Carabao Cup Final meeting with Arsenal - City’s first opportunity to secure one of the four trophies they are currently chasing.

“He’s going to play, Claudio,” said Guardiola. “We are in the Carabao Cup Final thanks to him. So I cannot forget what happened, he saved two rounds of penalties, and the way he played, the safest, in the Carabao Cup.

“That is the decision this season. The other (competitions), we will see.

Claudio Bravo will feature for Man City in cup competitions credit: Getty Images

“The goalkeeper’s a different position to the other 10 team mates but, you know, it all depends on the performance and the quality but in this competition Claudio is going to play.”

The 34-year-old Chilean lost his first team place last summer when Guardiola signed young Brazilian Ederson, who has been in inspired form this season.

Bravo has not started a single Premier League game in the current campaign although his manager insists his selection as “cup keeper” is not simply in order to keep him satisfied.

“I don’t do that to keep him happy,” said Guardiola. “It’s because in the top clubs we need two good goalkeepers so you cannot survive with just one goalkeeper - if he is injured, suspended, something like that and the other one doesn’t have the level.

“So all the big clubs who play a lot of competitions have two good goalkeepers and we have.

“His reaction has been perfect. I know for the players, not just Claudio, when they don’t play regularly it’s not an easy situation.

“They are here to play, I understand completely. But he was perfect and he knows, in football, situations change from one day to the other and he has to be ready.”