Pep Guardiola spiky 11-word answer points to clue over his Man City future

There were a lot of nods and a smile from Pep Guardiola as he listened to a question that he will have known was coming.

Whether or not he extends his contract at Manchester City is one of the biggest outstanding issues not only at the club but also in the game, given the acceptance of the manager's importance in leading the Blues to six out of the last seven Premier League titles. Everybody is desperate to know when he will decide, how he will decide, and what he will decide - especially because the expectation is that he will leave at the end of his contract next summer.

Manchester United fell apart so badly when Sir Alex Ferguson announced for the first time he would be retiring that he went back on his decision, and then the fall-off since 2013 has been fairly relentless. Liverpool planned a grand farewell for Jurgen Klopp last season after his January announcement, only for it all to fall flat as their season went from a possible four trophies to just a league cup.

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Those who know Guardiola well are expecting him to make a decision in the winter, and he moved in the summer to clarify that he still had not made his mind up. Until there is clarity, there are going to be questions and one of the reporters who is a regular at the City Football Academy turned up on Friday and asked the manager for what he was weighing up over his future and how he would come to his decision.

It received a friendly and knowing reaction, but the words - all 11 of them - cut through: "I answered this question in the first days and