Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been freshly quizzed on his Etihad Stadium future amid links to the England national team job.
The 54-year-old is well-publicised to be into the final year of his existing Manchester City contract, having last extended his terms with the reigning Premier League champions in the autumn of 2022.
With Txiki Begiristain leaving his long-standing role as Director of Football at the Etihad Stadium, and being known to be a very close personal and professional acquaintance of Pep Guardiola, doubts over whether the head coach will remain beyond next summer have grown.
Coupled with the expected vacancy at the very top of England’s coaching set-up, with Lee Carsley currently managing into the interim role, questions put to Pep Guardiola over his future in the game are not likely to slow any time soon.
Now speaking during a new conversation with Italian chat show Che Tempo Che Fa, Guardiola admitted that he is still yet to think about his future, and insisted that his career at Manchester City remains active amid links to the England job.
“I haven’t finished my career at Manchester City yet, I still have to think about [my future],” Pep Guardiola told Che Tempo Che Fa.
Guardiola continued, “It’s not true that I’ll be the England coach.
“I haven’t decided anything yet, if I had decided my future at Manchester City I would say so, anything can happen in life.”
Manchester City and their hierarchy are likely to remain insistent on retaining Pep Guardiola beyond the decade mark at the Etihad Stadium, and will do everything that they can to retain his services at the club after next summer.
The presence of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup may be an added complexity to proceedings and discussions, with the revamped 32-team tournament involving Manchester City in the United States coming between the ongoing and next season.
Pep Guardiola and incoming Director of Football, Hugo Viana may also want an opportunity to build the future of the Etihad Stadium’s first-team squad and vision together, with the current Sporting CP director expected to take on the new position full-time from next summer.
