Manchester City News: Pep Guardiola insists he won't manage at 70 like Roy Hodgson

PEP GUARDIOLA says he will not still be a football manager like Roy Hodgson at 70 years of age – he will be on the golf course.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says he won't coach until he's 70 years old GETTY

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says he won't coach until he's 70 years old

Guardiola comes face to face with Hodgson as a manager for the first time when his free-scoring leaders face basement club Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow.

But while he admires the well-travelled Hodgson’s longevity in the game he says he will quit long before he reaches 70.

He said: “I definitely will not be a manager at 70 - I love golf!

“But I admire him. He's had a long career and I respect that, just as I respect Gareth Barry for all those games he’s played in the Premier League. They keep going.

“I admire Roy, at 70, to have the energy to put in front of the players, to have the adrenalin to know what's going to happen. He's been with England, Switzerland, it's good."

But while he will welcome Hodgson, he believes the man he replaced, his former Barcelona team-mate Frank de Boer, was not given enough time at Selhurst Park.

I definitely will not be a manager at 70 - I love golf

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola

"I'm a friend of Frank and I'm upset for him," he said. "A manager needs time. They played really well but it's part of our job if you win you stay and if you lose you are out."

Tomorrow’s game looks one of the biggest home bankers in Premier League history with free-scoring Manchester City facing a Crystal Palace team without a point or goal to their name in the Premier League.

But Guardiola has warned his expensive stars of the dangers of complacency.

He added: "It's the Premier League and every single team can beat any of the others - that's the best expression I've learned since I’ve been here.

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“And I saw that in their last two games against Southampton and Burnley they created a lot of chances. I've shown the players those chances. They didn't score but they have quality. 

“They are going to play long balls to [Christian] Benteke - quite similar to how West Brom played against us in midweek. They deserved two or three goals. It depends if we can control it.

“We'd love to go into that last game before the international break with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with three points. It depends on us - if we keep our level we'll win the game.”

Guardiola confirmed that midfielder Ilkay Gundogan - who has just returned from a nine-month lay off with ruptured cruciate ligaments - is not seriously injured after limping off at the Hawthorns in midweek. "We were lucky," he said. "He should be back in training soon."

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