Pep Guardiola has heavily hinted that his days are numbered as Man City manager.

Speaking before the 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, Guardiola admitted that he loves to go to such iconic stadiums and he is not taking this latest visit for granted:

“Those games, of course, I will miss, I have incredible love in this place, I like to come. The people in Madrid don’t expect [it], but I have a lot of respect for this institution, they’ve done many many good things for world football.”

“Yeah, I will miss but I will miss not going to Camp Nou, I’ll miss Bayern Munich – hopefully we can go through and go there – and I will miss that, when I stop and retire. I will miss these nights because they are so special.

“I’ll miss Selhurst Park as well, I love it. Premier League, these stadiums. I don’t know, Champions League I will miss, but Fulham, Crystal Palace, this type [of stadiums], Goodison Park – these stadiums are one of the reasons I adore England, I adore the Premier League, for these kind of – FA Cup! Against League One [teams]… I like a lot! But one day it will be over, right?”

Man City are preparing for Guardiola’s exit

Several respected journalists have now reported that the Cityzens are bracing themselves for the manager’s departure at the end of the season.

While neither Guardiola nor the club have said anything publicly, Director of Football Hugo Viana is clearly putting a succession plan in place.

He has spoken to at least one manager, Enzo Maresca, while City are also big fans of Xabi Alonso and Como boss Cesc Fabregas.

Guardiola will be determined to get this season back on track

If the 55-year-old does call time on his tenure at the Etihad this summer, he will be keen to go out on a high.

For that to happen, though, City have to play a lot better than they have been in recent weeks. The draw against Nottingham Forest means they are now seven points behind Arsenal. They clearly have a mountain to climb to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League, too.

Even so, silverware remains a possibility, having reached the last eight of the FA Cup, as well as making the Carabao Cup final, which takes place later this month.

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