Man City have reportedly chosen their replacement for Pep Guardiola with the Catalan on the verge of leaving in the summer, according to reports.
The Citizens have made a good start to the new season with the defending Premier League champions still unbeaten after winning five and drawing two of their opening seven league fixtures.
Man City are currently second, one point behind Arne Slot’s Liverpool side, but they will have to deal without Rodri for the rest of the season.
As well as Rodri’s injury, the Citizens are having to deal with 115 charges hanging over their head for alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial fair play rules, as well as the outcome of their APT case against the governing body.
There has also been speculation about Guardiola’s future and how that could impact players with several linked to departures if the Man City boss leaves in the summer.
Reports in Spain last week claimed that Guardiola has chosen a ‘new destination’ away from City and ‘could be closer than ever’ to taking the England job.
The Football Association ‘would be interested in the Catalan coach taking charge of the team from next summer, taking advantage of the fact that his contract with Manchester City ends in June 2025.’
It added that Erling Haaland, Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne are the three players who would be ‘reconsidering their futures’ if Guardiola was to leave at the end of the season
And the latest reports from Spain have claimed that ‘everything points to’ Guardiola not being at Man City next season amid the pending departure of his friend Txiki Begiristain.
The report insists Man City ‘choose replacement’ for Guardiola and ‘it’s a bomb’ in the form of Paris Saint-Germain boss Luiz Enrique.
Enrique is ‘the big favourite’ to follow Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium ‘but attracting the coach from Paris will not be an easy task’.
The fact that the Spaniard shares a ‘similar football vision’ to Guardiola appeals to Man City and his record, which includes winning the Champions League at Barcelona, ‘fits perfectly with the ambitions of the English club’.
Former Man City centre-back Richard Dunne is predicting that this will be Guardiola’s “toughest season” as the Citizens manager.
Dunne “I think this might be Pep Guardiola’s toughest season as City manager. He came out after their last Carabao Cup game and said he wasn’t going to waste any more energy on the competition, which makes you think he’s showing signs that it will be a tough season.
“They’ve come into this season off the back of the Euros and then head straight to the Club World Cup next summer, so it’s not going to be easy for the players or the manager.
“It’s hard when you’re involved in every competition, not least when you’re also expected to win all of them. Compared to the last few seasons, this year will be a real challenge. I think that might be what they need, though, having won the league four times in a row.
“I questioned whether they had the desire to go and do it again, but maybe this is just the type of challenge they need. The setbacks of losing Rodri and the charges held against them might be the motivation they need to get through the season.”
Dunne added: “There is a chance that City could end the season trophyless if they try to push on every front. It’s really difficult to win any competition and it’s actually abnormal the manner in which City constantly win trophies.
“I don’t think it would be abnormal if they went through the season without winning one. I think it’s just incredible that they’ve managed to win a trophy every year for so long, rather than it being a disaster if they go a season without one.
“With the experienced nature of the squad and the way the competition is set up, they may not have to push at full strength in the Champions League for the entire season. They also know how the Premier League works, in terms of when they really have to go for it and be at their best. They’ll still compete on every front but it’ll be a very tough season.”
