Pep Guardiola says he will support whoever succeeds him at Manchester City after officially confirming his departure from the club.
Former assistant Enzo Maresca, who was dismissed by Chelsea in January, is the leading candidate to replace the Spaniard at the Etihad Stadium.
“When the club tell me who it is, of course I will call him,” Guardiola said.
“I will tell him, ‘Be yourself and the club will support you unconditionally’.
“That is the biggest compliment, or the biggest luck that all the managers who have been here have had. You will be protected in the bad moments more than any other club.
“Be yourself, be free, go with your ideas. Work a lot and everything will be fine.”
Guardiola already processed departure
Reports of Guardiola’s exit emerged earlier in the week before Manchester City officially confirmed the news on Friday.
The 55-year-old revealed he had already emotionally prepared himself for life away from football and intends to take a lengthy break from management.
“Yesterday I was at home and I didn’t have any furniture. It was basically completely empty. I just had a bed to sleep on,” Guardiola said.
“I’ve processed it already. After a few weeks, already it is done.”
Villa spoil farewell at Etihad
Manchester City took the lead against Aston Villa through Antoine Semenyo in the 23rd minute, but Ollie Watkins scored twice after the break to hand Villa the win in the Premier League finale.
Despite the defeat, much of the attention centred on the emotional farewells for long-serving players Bernardo Silva and John Stones, who both made their final appearances for the club.
The pair received guards of honour from both sets of players when substituted during the second half.
Stones and Silva pay tribute to Guardiola
John Stones, who joined City in the same summer as Guardiola in 2016, reflected on the success they achieved together.
“Looking back at myself as a young boy playing on the streets, to say that I’d win this amount of trophies, I never would have believed it,” Stones said.
“It’s something incredible and we kind of set a standard for this club. I hope going forward when I come back and watch from the stands that they can recreate some incredible moments.”
Bernardo Silva, who arrived from Monaco in 2017, described Guardiola as the driving force behind City’s dominance.
“Pep’s the reason we won so much. He was at the wheel, making the decisions and creating this monster of a team and, on a personal level, he’s my father in football,” Silva said.
“I do believe he’s the greatest manager ever.”
