Pep Guardiola tipped for shock new role at Man City as club legend urges owners to 'hang on to him as long as humanly possible'

While reports claim that Guardiola could well look to leave City at the end of the season, bringing to an end a golden era at the Etihad Stadium, former boss Stuart Pearce believes he must stay at the club for as long as possible, potentially even moving into a director of football role eventually.

"When you look at all football clubs around the world and look at how stable certain clubs are, Manchester City are one of the most stable of the lot. With the manager, you don’t see the owners clamouring for headlines. But it’s going to be a big, big ask to replace him when he leaves," he told Betway.

"Whether you look at a like-for-like replacement potentially, they’ve got feeder clubs around the world, but have they got managers around the world that might come in from their other clubs? That might be something going forward. A total change of style might set them back slightly.

"Can you replicate what he’s achieved already? It’s been absolutely incredible. Obviously, I was at City prior to the wealth and the riches arriving. So you can see the impact he’s had. I would try and hang on to him as long as humanly possible.

"There’s been talk over the last few years about him packing it in. Personally, if I was City, I would just keep him there – you might even want to keep him there as a director of football afterwards."

Guardiola has been quizzed about his future on several occasions already this season. He said in January: "I have a contract. I said a thousand million times. It's 10 years here. I will leave one day, but I have a contract."

He was asked a similar question again on Friday and trotted out the same line: "I have one more year on my contract. The question of that is [the same as] one or two months ago, but I will tell you again that it is the same answer."

Despite the mystery surrounding Guardiola's future, City chiefs insist they do not know their coach's plans for the future, according to ESPN. Sources close to the agency which works with Guardiola's representatives add that any information about the City manager's future is "heavily protected." The rumours are said to be generated by chatter between rival executives, agents and players, but talk about a potential summer exit for Guardiola refuses to go away, and there would be few surprises now if this were to be the Catalan's last season with the Premier League side.

Guardiola has won the Premier League six times at City and his side currently sit five points behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand.

Speaking last week, he insisted he did not have any real concerns about the title race, telling reporters: "12 games is a lot. Newcastle is all I am concerned with. I'm not concerned with the League Cup final with Arsenal until it comes. Now it's Newcastle, rest and after Leeds. I don't know what is going to happen these next 12 games. I didn't speak one second about that with my players.

"Yesterday and the day before it was Newcastle, Newcastle, Newcastle. I didn't talk about the position or the table. I could not care less. It's 12 games. Ask me this question with two or three games and I will answer but 12 games left is an eternity. That is the only truth I have.

"They were nine points [in front] because we had a game in hand. When everybody has the same fixtures, and after we have the differences. Many things are going to happen until the end of the season. 70 per cent of the players are new so they don't have that experience of these kind of situations. Experience is win tomorrow."

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