'Time will come' – Pep Guardiola confidante sends message on manager's Man City contract

Pep Guardiola's No.2 at Manchester City has urged supporters to remain patient over the manager's future, as speculation heightens.

Guardiola has just a year remaining on his contract at City, which expires in June 2025, and has hinted that he could soon leave the Etihad Stadium. After lifting a fourth successive Premier League title, Guardiola said he was "closer to leaving than staying".

It would be the end of nine trophy-laden years if Guardiola does depart in 12 months' time, although Carlos Vicens – who has been the Catalan's assistant manager for the past three years at City – says nothing is decided yet.

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“Pep has been at City for many seasons, the club is very grateful for his work, I suppose they will sit down and decide when the time comes,” Vicens said in an interview with Deportes Cope Baleares.

“We have to leave Pep alone now and let him recover from the season. Then the time will come for him to make his decisions.

“We are bound by his contract, but first let everyone enjoy their holidays and then we’ll see what happens in the future. It’s too early to talk about this.”

Vicens has been at City for almost all of Guardiola's reign. He joined the club as an academy coach in the summer of 2017 – a year after Guardiola arrived – and has worked with youth teams from the Under-12s upwards, until he was appointed as the first team assistant boss in 2021.

It is likely he would also leave City if and when the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager departs.

Manchester City wrapped up the 2023/24 season with a fourth