Dante rows back on Guardiola barbs

Dante played under Guardiola for two seasons at Bayern before joining Wolfsburg in 2015.

Dante and Pep Guardiola during their time with German club Bayern Munich.

Former Bayern Munich defender Dante has distanced himself from apparent criticism of Pep Guardiola — describing the Manchester City boss as an "exceptional coach".

Dante played under Guardiola for two seasons at Bayern before joining Wolfsburg in 2015.

The Brazilian centre-back completed a switch to Nice in Ligue 1 last week and followed a number of his ex-colleagues by passing judgement on Guardiola following the latter's impressive start in the Premier League.

In an interview with Sport Bild, Dante seemingly criticised the Spaniard for having a distant relationship with his squads, but later posted a statement on Twitter to clarify his comments.

"I was misunderstood a bit," he said. "What I meant was that Pep is a tactically exceptional coach, but he is less with the players I was used to from my previous coaches there.

"I respect Pep and am grateful for everyone who has helped me through [my career]. I would never speak negatively about these special people."

Dante could make his debut for Nice when it hosts Marseille in the French top flight next Sunday — a day after Guardiola's first taste of the Manchester derby against United at Old Trafford.