Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola says he is “not thinking for a second” about a possible contract extension as his side prepare to face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
Having joined City in 2016 and led them to four of their last five Premier League titles, Guardiola’s side look once again as favorites to win the league.
They are the only unbeaten team in the Premier League this season and are only held back by Arsenal.
But with Guardiola’s current term expiring at the end of the 2022/23 season, there are fears that he could walk away like the sabbatical he took when he left Barcelona in 2012 unless a new deal is struck.
However, Guardiola says he is not even considering the contract situation yet.
“You know, I don’t think about it for a second,” he said.
“We have two or three weeks before the World Cup and this is an important time. After that, we will have enough time to talk about it.”
Back to the city! pic.twitter.com/Ll8GJn6ELC
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 12, 2022
In Sunday’s fixture, City will face their closest rivals of the last couple of years, with Jurgen Klopp’s Citizens and Liverpool finishing the top two in three of the last five campaigns.
After finishing second in both the Premier League and the Champions League last season, Liverpool have struggled at the start of this season, winning just two of their eight league games and already 13 points behind City and trailing the leaders.” Arsenal by 14 points.
Liverpool star striker Mohamed Salah has faced particular criticism for a poor start, but Guardiola believes the Egypt international will succeed.
“These players always score goals in their careers,” Guardiola added. “Sometimes they struggle a little, but the quality is there.
“They get chances, they take them. We played many times against Liverpool. Just because Salah isn’t scoring now doesn’t mean he won’t score.”