![\"Pep](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0_Manchester-City-FC-v-Real-Madrid-CF-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Round-of-16-Second-Leg.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPep Guardiola has had a trophy-laden career as Manchester City manager but doubts have been cast over his future<\/p>\n
10:28, 18 Mar 2026Updated 10:55, 18 Mar 2026<\/p>\n
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Pep Guardiola will reportedly decide on his Manchester City future.(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will decide his future after Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Arsenal<\/a>. The 55-year-old is into the final 18 months of his two-year extension after penning a new deal in 2024.<\/p>\n According to the Daily Mail<\/a>, the 55-year-old will go away hours after the showdown with the Gunners at Wembley and consider what is best for him and City. In recent months, fresh doubts have been cast over Guardiola’s future in Greater Manchester with former Chelsea<\/a> manager Enzo Maresca among those courted as a successor to the Catalan great.<\/p>\n City were dumped out of the Champions League<\/a> by Guardiola’s former foes, Real Madrid<\/a>, as Los Blancos won 5-1 on aggregate. Vinicius Jr scored twice in the second leg as the tie was turned on its head when Bernardo Silva was shown a straight red card for handball in the first half.<\/p>\n READ MORE: AFCON final U-turn statement, Senegal trophy refusal and Morocco punishment latest<\/a>READ MORE: Liam Rosenior feeling the pressure as Chelsea fans turn and Enzo Fernandez aims dig<\/a><\/p>\n The report suggests that City’s sporting director Hugo Viana has sounded out potential replacements for Guardiola with Maresca among those with discussions said to have taken place. Life after the 55-year-old has increasingly emerged into the conversation at the Etihad Stadium but his decision to pen an extension in November 2024, during a difficult run of results, simmered the talks.<\/p>\n But with the eight-time Premier League<\/a> winners staring down a nine-point gap to league leaders Arsenal, Guardiola faces another mammoth task if he is to add another piece of silverware to his glittering collection.<\/p>\n JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!<\/strong> <\/strong>Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football’s Facebook page<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n However, the reports from the Daily Mail come just hours after the City boss described the future in East Manchester as “bright” following their Champions League Round of 16 exit.<\/p>\n He said: “It is difficult once you are 4-0 down and playing 10 men against 11. But we did everything.<\/p>\n “We have an extraordinary team and an extraordinary group of players. The future is bright. It’s a little bit of a learning [curve] but it should have been 11 against 11. But we never know. Maybe we lose 6-0 but it’s a fact.”<\/p>\n It has been two years since Jurgen Klopp’s stunning decision to leave Liverpool<\/a> prematurely. The German head coach rued a lack of energy after a relentless eight-and-a-half years at Anfield that transformed the Reds from Champions League outsiders to champions of England and Club World Cup winners.<\/p>\n Whether Pep Guardiola joins Jurgen Klopp in stepping out of the Premier League spotlight remains to be seen.(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Whether Guardiola follows his footballing foe and departs before the end of the season will soon become clearer. Since selecting a Liverpool squad for the final time, Klopp has looked refreshed and taken on a new role as Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull<\/a>, while popping up at sporting events across Europe – most recently at Milano Cortina for the Winter Olympics.<\/p>\n But the Catalonian took aim at Real Madrid using Klopp<\/a> as one of most cherished rivals following their exit to the Spanish giants.<\/p>\n He said: “No, Jurgen Klopp<\/a> at Liverpool was the biggest challenge. You almost don’t realise what it was like to face Liverpool.<\/p>\n “Those games were a great learning experience for the team, because to play a team like us who had not been in the competition 12 or 13 years ago and the generation that we had, they have won those games sometimes, Real Madrid have beaten us, we’ve won some. We’ve had great times as well.”<\/p>\n Watch the Champions League on TNT Sports<\/p>\n This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/a> \u00a330.99<\/p>\n TNT Sports<\/p>\n![\"Jurgen](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0_GettyImages-1801629808.jpg\")
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