Manchester City are used to seeing Manchester United change managers over the past decade.
Since Pep Guardiola took charge of City back in 2016, United have had six permanent and interim managers in the dugout at Old Trafford.
Having seen Erik ten Hag get sacked recently, Ruud van Nistelrooy will be in charge of the Red Devils’ Carabao Cup match with Leicester City.
After previous reports emerged naming Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim as a potential replacement for Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, the 39-year-old has recently been linked with the United job (via The Guardian).
With that in mind, a claim has emerged regarding what sort of impact this reported appointment could have on Guardiola and his future at City.
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Amorim to United could impact Guardiola’s City future
Speaking exclusively to Manchester City News, GRV Media’s transfer expert Graeme Bailey gave this assessment of how Amorim’s potential appointment at Old Trafford could impact Guardiola and his future at City.
He said: “The one thing that will really keep Guardiola here is maybe Amorim going to Man United.
“I think the fact that [Enzo] Maresca, [Mikel] Arteta and [Arne] Slot, the rivalry he’s got going in the Premier League is helping. If he was winning the Premier League by 20 points as he has been previously, I think he’d be more inclined to walk away.
“But what better time now, if he can really build this City team again, like [Alex] Ferguson, we know what he thinks of Ferguson, and knows of that legacy where Fergie rebuilt Man United two or three times, it’s very rare that you get that chance.
“I think there’s a good chance, I get a feeling, a personal feeling at the moment, obviously, Pep hasn’t made that decision himself, so it’s impossible for anyone to say for definite, but I get the feeling he may stay for another year, at least another year.
“I think the Premier League as it stands now is getting him going.
“All the indications I’ve had in recent weeks and months is that, compared when it was previously two years ago when you got that feeling that City were worried about what was going to happen, this time around I haven’t had that feeling and I think they think he might stay.”
What has Guardiola said about his City future?
As things stand, the 53-year-old’s contract with the Citizens is set to expire in June, meaning that unless he signs an extension before then, this current season could be his last one at the club.
During the October international break, amid speculation over him potentially becoming the next permanent England manager prior to Thomas Tuchel’s appointment, Guardiola opened up about his City future, saying this on the matter.
He said: “It’s not true [becoming the next England boss], I can promise you that had I made a decision on whether to stay or to leave [Manchester City], I would tell you.”
Even though United have not rivalled City for a Premier League title for a while, if Amorim does get appointed and turns the Red Devils into contenders again, this added layer of competitiveness at the top of the Premier League table could well be enough to motivate Guardiola into continuing his journey with the Blues.
Either way, given the significant number of trophies Guardiola has guided the Blues to in his tenure, everyone at the club would undoubtedly love to see the Catalan put pen to paper on a contract extension.
