Former Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney hopes Pep Guardiola will stay at Manchester City beyond this season because he has set “a benchmark” for all other managers.
The 55-year-old has been in charge of City since 2016 and led them to six Premier League titles, while they are in with a chance of a seventh this season.
However, there is uncertainty over whether Guardiola will still be manager next season, with the expectation that a decision on his future will be made towards – or after – the end of this campaign.
“Some players will want him to leave, some will want him to stay, it depends whether you are in the team or not and that is the same for any manager,” said Rooney on the latest episode of The Wayne Rooney Show.
“I hope he stays because he is brilliant for the Premier League and you want the best managers in the Premier League.
“He has set a benchmark over the past 10 years for everyone else.”
In December, former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was heavily linked with a return to City, where he previously worked as a coach under Guardiola.
However, Rooney believes a club legend who previously played under Guardiola would be better suited to take charge.
“If Pep does go, they have to go and get [current Bayern Munich boss] Vincent Kompany,” he added.
“He knows the club, he has been successful with Bayern in a similar way. It looks like he has learned from Pep.
“Pep will probably choose the next manager. If he is going, he will probably be part of the process to choose the next one.
“I just think in terms of Pep, he looks at himself as a bit of a teacher and he has been at the club for 10 years, he will want to leave the club in a good place.”
