‘I Understand'-Pep Guardiola's Message to Man City Players Over Exit Revealed
Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders said Pep Guardiola decided to leave the club because he could no longer face telling benched players they weren't involved.
Guardiola still had a year left on the two-season contract he signed in 2025, but opted to walk away last month after a decade at the club. City fell short in the Premier League title race for only the fourth time since the Spaniard's 2016 arrival, but finished the campaign with a domestic cup double.
Guardiola said after the final game of 2025–26 that he was "so tired" after years of intense competition to be the best. Reijnders has now elaborated on that, revealing in an interview with Dutch newspaperDe Telegraaf what the long-serving boss had told the players.
Reijnders, called Guardiola a "very intense manager and a football genius," admitting he felt it a "shame "to have only been able to work under the storied coach for a single season.
"It is his choice," the former AC Milan midfielder reflected. "He no longer has the energy to disappoint guys when they are not in the squad or are not playing, he told us. After 10 years, it is enough. And I understand that. By ‘intense coach,' I mean in a very positive light, by the way. He tries to get the absolute best out of a group of players."
Guardiola's Reason for Leaving Man City Teases Next Job
Losing energy for the daily intensity of club management is perhaps why Guardiola is expected to move into international soccer if he ever takes on another manager job. In the short-term, he is going to be an ambassador and adviser to the City Football Group, but first spoke about his dream of one day leading a team into a World Cup and continental championship as far back as 2018.
The 55-year-old has previously dismissed the possibility of becoming Spain manager, despite representing his national team 47 times 1992–2001. He hasn't ever given a reason, but Guardiola is a proud Catalan who has in recent years supported the region's separatist movement.
Even if Spain is pretty much off the table, a host of other countries could be on it-including the United States, England, Italy, Mexico and even the United Arab Emirates.
Man City Reset Not a Guarantee for Reijnders
He might be disappointed not to have had longer with Guardiola, but Reijnders might be glad of a potential reset at Manchester City going into his second season.
The Dutchman had a promising FIFA Club World Cup last summer and then began his debut Premier League campaign as a starter. He went on to enjoy a rich vein of scoring form in the middle of the season, getting four of his five Premier League goals for the season in the space of one month, before falling out of favor once February began soon after.
Reijnders only started two of City's final 15 Premier League matches, one of which came after the title had already been conceded to Arsenal. He was unused completely for nine of them, with Guardiola preferring to start Rodri and Bernardo Silva in central midfield. Nico González was also ahead in the depth chart, limiting Reijnders to only his small role.
With Silva departing as a free agent, there is an obvious void to fill in the team that Reijnders seems well suited for. Even Rodri's future remains uncertain amid conspicuous flirting with Real Madrid.
The main issue, however, is that City's primary objective in the transfer market is in midfield. A battle is brewing with Manchester United for Elliot Anderson, while Enzo Fernández had also been earmarked as an option given how things unraveled at Chelsea.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 11:30 AM.