Gary Lineker has suggested that one key figure at Manchester City could be leaving the club in the near future.
Over the past seven years, the Citizens have been the dominant force in English football and ended their previous season by being crowned as European champions.
With the Blues currently on the hunt to win the three trophies they picked up last term, one pundit has claimed that someone who has played a big role in City’s recent successes could be leaving the club sooner rather than later.
Lineker says key City man could leave in a couple of years
Speaking in a recent edition of The Rest Is Football, Lineker had this to say about how the likes of City and Liverpool will have to find suitable replacements for Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
He said: “It’s going to be so difficult who they get in. To be honest, I would not want, even if I was interested in management, I would not want that job after Klopp, I would want the one after that.
“I think the same will happen with Pep as well with City, I think it’s going to be very difficult for both Liverpool and Manchester City post eras.
“I think when you’ve got a personality so dominant at a football club for so long, everything is about what he does, his staff, his manner, the whole club is run, you could say the same with Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.
“Both of those clubs, when they left, have had periods of real difficulty and I think it’s going to be such a challenge for whoever comes in. And the same with Manchester City when Pep goes and I’d be very surprised if he does more than another two, three years because of the intensity of it all, and you can see that Klopp needed a rest, the next appointment is big but it’s going to be so hard to follow in those footsteps.”
Guardiola has been at the Etihad Stadium since 2016 and currently has until the summer of 2025 before his current contract expires.
During his time at the club, the 53-year-old has overlooked 458 matches in total across all competitions, winning 339, drawing 55 and losing 64.
In terms of the silverware he’s delivered for the club, City have won five Premier Leagues, two FA Cups, four League Cups and one Champions League under the guidance of Guardiola.
Back in November, the Spaniard hinted that he could be open to extending his contract at the Manchester club.
If that ends up being the case, it’ll be interesting to see how long he signs on for and if he goes on to stay beyond the time Lineker said he could be at the club for.
