Pep Guardiola's future discussed as Man City icon makes fresh job claim

David Silva has shared his verdict on which role Pep Guardiola should take when he eventually decides to leave Manchester City. The 54-year-old is approaching a decade at the helm of City and recently penned a fresh two-year deal.

Concerns had emerged that Guardiola might decide against extending his contract as City began to struggle last season, ultimately finishing third in the Premier League and enduring an early Champions League elimination. Nevertheless, Guardiola put pen to paper on an extension last November, committing himself to the club until 2027.

Despite Guardiola's dedication to City, club legend Silva reckons his former manager should explore international football during his coaching career. World Cup winner Silva thinks Guardiola would be an ideal candidate for the Spain job, once the City boss and current La Roja chief Luis de la Fuente leave their respective roles.

"I'd like to see him as Spain's manager," Silva said. "Luis de la Fuente is doing a phenomenal job now, but it would be good to have Pep in the future.

"He could bring a style of football based on good ball control and always going out to win games. A bit like the philosophy of the current Spanish national team."

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Silva, who earned an impressive 125 caps for Spain and was part of the squads that won three consecutive major tournaments between 2008 and 2012, signed for City from Valencia in 2010. Silva spent his last four years at the club under Guardiola, who previously named the midfielder among the top five City players of all time.

In the City TV documentary Made in Gran Canaria, celebrating Silva's career, Guardiola said: "'I'd only say that he has to be proud for all that he has achieved in football because he has been consistent and, especially at this club, he will be always remembered as one of the biggest, biggest, biggest players ever to wear the Man City shirt."

He added: "If we're talking about the top five, David is one of them, and I don't say that lightly." Silva played a total of 436 games for the club, winning four Premier League titles and multiple other major honours.

Luckily for City, the possibility of Guardiola taking up the Spain job isn't a pressing concern, particularly given the manager's new deal. In January, Spain boss De la Fuente also received a contract extension until the end of Euro 2028 after leading the country to victory last summer.

Meanwhile, Guardiola is fully committed to rebuilding his City team. The club welcomed Gianluigi Donnarumma, Tijani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, among others, during the transfer window, and the manager made his intentions clear when discussing his future in August.

"I have two more years, maybe I'll extend two more years. So the question is when I will stop in this year or in two years, or in four years, I will take a break. But now I feel fine, I would say," he told .

"The team is giving me good vibes, starting from the [Club] World Cup in the United States. There we created something. I saw something that I liked, that I missed last season.

"The training sessions, the body language, the details, arriving on time, the (running) backwards, how we defend throw-ins, stupid things that you realise the team is there. And that will help us to be, I think, more consistent than last season."

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