MX23RW : Thursday, January 9 05:15:39| >> :120:5953:5953:

Pep Guardiola: 'I would like to stay longer at Manchester City'

The 49-year-old is in the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola has said he would like to "stay longer" at Manchester City.

The City manager is in the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium and speculation over his future is likely to increase as the season goes on.

Victor Font, a candidate to be the next Barcelona president, has expressed a desire to take Guardiola back to the Nou Camp, where his past successes included two Champions League triumphs.

When asked about Font, Guardiola said at a press conference: "I am incredibly happy here. I'm delighted to be in Manchester and I hope I can do a good job this season to stay longer."

City have had to deal with a host of injuries in the early part of the campaign, a problem Guardiola feels has been exacerbated by the shortened summer break and the intensity of the pandemic-affected calendar.

Other clubs have also been affected and Guardiola has urged the Premier League to consider reverting to allowing five substitutes, as they did in the closing stages of last season after lockdown.

Guardiola said: "Definitely they should, they should 100 per cent. It's not about one club.

Sergio Aguero, second right,  has struggled with injury this season
Sergio Aguero, second right, has struggled with injury this season (Catherine Ivill/PA)

"There are statistics that they don't deny – that in the Premier League players have 47 per cent more muscular injuries than the previous season, due to no preparation for most of the teams and the amount of games.

"All the leagues – Germany, Spain, everywhere – (allow) five substitutions to protect the players, not to protect one team. Hopefully they can reconsider and do what the rest of the world does because we have to adjust to the pandemic situation and other things.

"The reality is completely different now to before. Intelligent people adjust to the situation in the world – football is about the players. We'll see."

ID:420400: cacheID:420400:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5170:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly pictured in July 2020
Read Next:
Liverpool 'still interested in Kalidou Koulibaly'
>
Read more about Pep Guardiola Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool19144147192846
2Arsenal20117239182140
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest20124429191040
4Chelsea20106439241536
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2010463627934
7Bournemouth209653023733
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham207943027330
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
11Brentford208393835327
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd206592328-523
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham206592439-1523
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2044123145-1416
18Ipswich TownIpswich2037102035-1516
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!