Pep Guardiola is convinced Manchester City will be just fine without him.
Guardiola’s is out of contract at the end of this season and has still to decide his future. The Spaniard could decide to leave the Etihad next summer to take a break from management.
His close friend and ally, City sporting director Txiki Begiristain, has announced he will be leaving the English champions next summer. And if Guardiola decides to follow him through the exit door, he is sure City will continue to be successful after he’s gone.
Guardiola, who has won a staggering 18 trophies since arriving in 2016, has seen Manchester United go backwards since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. But he’s adamant there will be no such collapse at City.
He said: “They will find immediate solutions. They will be patient, calm and know what they have to do. I’ve been with Txiki for 12 years and in my case, it looks like we cannot be separated, but of course we can move on. Life goes on.
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“I don’t know what happened (at United), but it’s not going to happen. It will be a bad sign for the club if just one or two people leave and everything went down.
“Maybe some mistakes will happen, but they will be solved immediately. The hierarchy know exactly what they have to do.” New sporting director Hugo Viana could face a big summer next year, with Guardiola’s potential departure and the futures of some big name players in doubt.
But Guardiola is not losing sleep about how City continue to move forward. He said: “It’s a good question for Hugo Viana (new sporting director) and Txiki, but every summer the club has to be ready.
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“Everything is fine. If three or four players knock on the door and ask to leave, we have to be ready. Clubs always have to do it. Players with certain ages, we have to see what happens, but while I said I give my opinion, it’s a question for a sporting director.”
Guardiola is becoming concerned with a growing injury list ahead of today’s visit of struggling Southampton. But he has backed the mental strength of those players who are still fit and firing to deal with it.
He added: “I could not be more thankful that the players are still doing what I want them to be doing. I see the training sessions and they were still alive. We have just 15 players, and we are in difficulty with a lack of players to rotate, but they still take a step forward.
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“They have an incredible mentality, they are so strong. The tendency is to relax, drop when they win. I don’t see that drop. Everyone pushes each other, they push me and my staff.
“They accept when I tell them what I don’t like, they accept well the compliments and criticism from the media. They’re huge competitors. I have a group of players who have huge mentality – and they are really, really good.”