The Man City head coach will get a chance to renew his rivalry with Mourinho later this season.
The pair were on Louis van Gaal’s managerial staff together at Barcelona and went on to form successful careers in the dugout.
They have had several run-ins while at their various clubs, including Jose’s celebrations after knocking Barcelona out of the Champions League which in charge of Inter, and his mind games at Real Madrid that caused Guardiola to crack.
Guardiola was asked about Mourinho in his press conference ahead of Man City’s match with Chelsea, which is live on talkSPORT on Saturday evening.
He said: “You know him better than me. He was many years here in different clubs. Welcome back. An incredible manager and I’m pretty sure he’ll do a good job.
“I was a little surprised with Mauricio because he had done an incredible job and the club was better.
“Always the managers when they leave it is to know if the club and team are better than when they take over and I think it happened but decisions are made and there is nothing else to say.”