“I was told” – Rodri makes Pep Guardiola exit admission as future of Manchester City explained | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Ballon d’Or winner Rodri has looked towards the future of the club beyond Pep Guardiola, making an admission over the Catalan’s exit date.

The 53-year-old remains in the final year of contract at the Etihad Stadium, and has continuously insisted that he would not be commenting on his future until a decision had been reached and was made public knowledge.

The most recent comments from the Manchester City manager came prior to the club’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League, as he exclaimed, “I’ve said many times, I’m not going talk about this subject.

“When it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. We are in touch regularly, and what is going to happen is going to happen, always for the benefit of the club.”

Whilst some around the club are consistently concerned about what the future may hold beyond their greatest every coach and one of the greatest minds to ever grace the sport, one senior member of the club’s dressing room has insisted that the club will remain the same.

They were the words of defensive midfield star Rodri, who was recently crowned as the 2024 Ballon d’Or recipient, as the Spaniard also revealed that this is not the first time that there have been significant doubts over the future of Pep Guardiola.

Speaking whilst as a guest on El Partidazo de COPE this week, Rodri revealed that upon joining Manchester City from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2019, the belief was that Guardiola would be leaving just one year later.

“There will be a before and after when Pep (Guardiola) leaves (Manchester) City,” Rodri insisted. “When I signed, I was told that he would leave the following year… and we are still like that five years later.”

Rodri continued, “He is very ambitious, and we will see. When he’s gone things will change, but Manchester City is still Manchester City.”

For now, Manchester City officials remain insistent that their priority is to extend the agreement they have in place with Pep Guardiola, and recent reports have pointed towards a one-year extension being the most likely outcome in talks.

However, that would then leave Manchester City in the same position they find themselves in at present just one-year down the line, with some of the game’s leading coaches being sought after ahead of the upcoming summer market.

Among the leading candidates to succeed Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium is Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso, however the Spaniard is also strongly admired by officials at the Santiago Bernabeu to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.