Pep Guardiola hasn’t ruled out the possibility of taking control of England’s men’s team while he remains undecided about his future at Manchester City.
“Leaving City? It’s not true, I haven’t decided yet,” Guardiola told Italian TV show Che Tempo Che Fa, as reported by Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio and translated by The Guardian. “And it is not even true that I will be the next England coach. If I had decided I would say it … I don’t know either, anything can happen.”
Guardiola’s contract at the Etihad Stadium expires at the end of the season. Speculation that the trophy-hoarding manager will depart City increased following Tuesday’s news that sporting director Txiki Begiristain – who shares a close relationship with the Spanish tactician – would step down from his role at the club next summer. Hugo Viana has since been confirmed as Begiristain’s successor.
The questions around Guardiola’s future coincide with the Football Association’s search for Gareth Southgate’s successor as the next full-time England boss. Lee Carsley took interim charge of the men’s team in August but revealed that he hasn’t applied to take the job on a permanent basis and lost support following Thursday’s defeat to Greece and his confusing post-match comments.
England has appointed foreign managers in the past: Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. However, Guardiola has won more trophies than that pair and already boasts experience working in the country. The FA has tried to appoint managers closer to Guardiola’s profile before, attempting to hire Jose Mourinho in 2007 and Arsene Wenger in 2016, according to The Athletic’s Tim Spiers.
