Guardiola's Shock Exit Looms as Man City Stumble Against United

The rumour mill is working overtime at Manchester City after a chastening weekend. Following their 2-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United on Saturday, speculation has intensified around Pep Guardiola's future at the Etihad.

Richard Keys, the beIN Sports presenter and former Sky Sports figure, has thrown a bombshell into proceedings. He reckons Guardiola could walk away "this week" – not merely at season's end, but imminently. Keys warned viewers not to dismiss the possibility, suggesting the City boss has departure on his mind.

"I think nailed on, he's gone at the end of the season," Keys stated. "But, do not rule out him leaving this week. If this happens, remember where you heard it first. If he goes this week, Enzo Maresca will be in charge for the match against Wolves next weekend. City will be apoplectic at that, they'll deny it of course, but it's on his mind to leave this week."

The timing couldn't be worse for City's title ambitions. Arsenal have opened up a seven-point gap at the summit, with Guardiola's men now languishing in second place after their Old Trafford humbling proved more emphatic than the scoreline suggests – Michael Carrick's side could have won by a greater margin.

Yet only weeks ago, Guardiola appeared to pour cold water on exit talk. Speaking in December, he reassured the City faithful: "I'm happy here, I want to stay here. What can I say? The moment I feel that it is done and with the players I cannot squeeze more – or I can't visualise how we could do better – then I will go home. Still I have the feeling."

He expanded on his philosophy, emphasizing that silverware isn't his sole motivation: "Of course I want to win the Premier League and the Champions League but that is not the reason why I wake up in the morning. It's not. It's the process, the journey. To do it better. I'm excited because I there is a margin to improve – and that is what I like."

Reflecting on his decade at City, Guardiola added: "In 10 years I've done everything. It's not about that. The motivation is not trophies. The team is getting better and better and that is what I like. There are things that have happened in the last month that are much, much better. It made me happy."

Away from the managerial carousel, City face fresh headaches with their attacking arsenal. Erling Haaland, who cut a jaded figure against United, won't get a breather for the Champions League trip to Bodo/Glimt this week.

Guardiola acknowledged the Norwegian's importance whilst hinting the fixture schedule offers little respite: "Erling is so important for us. We are lucky to have Erling with what he has done. We'll see what happens next game. We have to travel to Norway and go in there and see how they recover. Not just physically. I can smell how they feel. And after, we continue. We did it last season and we continue this one. We have a lot of important games, every three or four days."

The manager's comments suggest Haaland will feature in Scandinavia, despite fatigue concerns. City's relentless fixture pile-up offers scant opportunity for recovery, with crucial matches arriving thick and fast.