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Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott has said that he would not be surprised to see Pep Guardiola leave the Premier League club at the end of the season. Lescott also said that he would be shocked if Manchester City sacked Guardiola, though.
The former Cityzens defender told Stadium Astro: "There are a number of factors that are going to go into that.
I’ll be surprised if he’s not in charge of Manchester City at the end of the season and it’ll be a Man City decision. If Pep decides to walk away then that’s one thing, but I’d be totally surprised if the club decides to sack him in terms of what he has done in transforming the profile of the club."
But Lescott added that he wasn't sure if Guardiola would remain in the Manchester City hot-seat for the 2021-22 season.
"I’m not saying he’s going to leave but the fact that he hasn’t got a contract for next season suggests that he’s not going to be there.
"Would it surprise me if he signed a new extension? No, totally not. I hope he does and I’m sure that the board and the owners do because what he’s done for the club, the standard he has set for City and the Premier League has raised the bar.”
Lescott tips Mauricio Pochettino for Manchester City job
Lescott said that succeeding Guardiola will not be an easy job, with the demands at Manchester City as high as they are, but he said that Mauricio Pochettino could be a great option for the job.
The Argentine has been without a job since he was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur in November 2019, and remains on the radar of certain big clubs around the world.
"We are talking hypothetically so it’s hard to say who is going to be in and out of a job next season.
"If he [Pochettino] is available, yeah, he’s a top manager and proven in terms of style of play.
"But when Pep does leave, whether it’s next season or in three or four years' time, winning isn’t going to be enough because they are used to that. It is going to be a style as well.
"Whoever the next manager is, it’s going to be difficult. We saw that when David Moyes went to Manchester United."
Guardiola's Manchester City have already fallen behind Liverpool in the early knocking of the season, after a 5-2 defeat to Leicester City at home on Sunday.
