Pep Guardiola has expressed his enduring passion for his role, offering Manchester City supporters hope that he might extend his tenure at the club.

Reports in May from Mail Sport suggested that key figures at the Etihad Stadium anticipated their illustrious manager might conclude his trophy-laden spell next summer. However, the City board is making significant efforts to retain Guardiola until 2026, which would mark a decade of his leadership. A rejuvenated Guardiola has taken his squad to America for pre-season training.

Guardiola revealed this week that he feels revitalised and, at a Puma event near New York’s Rockefeller Centre, declared his readiness to pursue a fifth consecutive Premier League title.

“If you love what you do, why should I stop?” he said. “I like it – as much now as when they hired me – so let’s go.”

City are set to play AC Milan at Yankee Stadium on Saturday night with a somewhat depleted squad, as players like Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Phil Foden are on holiday.

Rodri is also enjoying an extended break, and City are hopeful that any ban imposed on him for an inflammatory chant during Spain’s European Championship celebrations will not affect their Champions League campaign.

Rodri, along with Álvaro Morata, was filmed singing “Gibraltar is Spanish,” which led UEFA to initiate disciplinary proceedings after the Gibraltar FA lodged a formal complaint.

Both players were charged earlier this week, and UEFA’s disciplinary body has the authority to issue suspensions that apply to both national and club European competitions simultaneously.

Jude Bellingham received a suspended ban for both England and Real Madrid for an alleged obscene gesture made after scoring against Slovakia in the round of 16.

Merih Demiral, the Turkey defender who plays in Saudi Arabia, was banned for two national team matches for a politically charged “wolf” celebration, which is considered linked to a far-right group.

Spain have two fixtures in September, and given the outcomes of the previous cases during the Euros, Rodri is likely to be free of any potential ban by the time the Champions League begins later that month.

The Gibraltar FA stated that it “noted the extremely provocative and insulting nature of the celebrations around the Spanish men’s national team winning Euro 2024. Football has no place for behaviour of this nature.”