EDERSON claims Manchester City already know the man they want to replace Pep Guardiola.
The four-in-a-row Prem champions are waiting to hear whether their Catalan boss will leave when his contract expires next summer.
Pep Guardiola is out of contract next summer[/caption]
The hope is he could sign a one-year extension to make it a decade in charge at the Etihad – but as yet he has made no decision.
City’s No1 opted to stay in the summer when a lucrative switch to Saudi Arabia was on the table for him.
And that was partly because he feels the club will know exactly where to turn when the time comes to finally say their goodbyes to Guardiola.
Asked if his future was linked to the manager at all, he said: “No, not at all. Today City is a very well structured club, well managed, great directors, great CEO.
“I believe the club already has the next manager in mind to the day Pep decides to leave, they will try to follow the same line of work.
“Of course it’d be a great loss, we’re talking about the best manager in the world, but I see a really well prepared club for the post-Pep era.”
Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim is a hot tip to take over following the announcement that his close pal Hugo Viana will move to City as director of football in the summer.
However they are also among a host of clubs who have been impressed by the job done by Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen.
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
And Guardiola himself believes his former captain Vincent Kompany – now in charge of Bayern Munich – will be City boss at some point in the future.
Ederson revealed Guardiola played a key role in persuading him to stay in the summer – with the pair having several lengthy chats.
He said in one conversation he was given ‘guarantees’ by his boss that helped convince him to prolong his seven-year spell in England.
Ederson told TNT Sport Brazil: “There was an offer on the table, it weighed a lot on me as it was way above the average.
“But I had countless conversations with Pep, there was a decisive one that I can’t reveal much.
“It was about what he told me, his guarantees, all of what we’ve lived together here, the evolution I had with him.
“So that talk was essential for me to stay at City.”
Ederson has helped City win six of the last seven Prem titles since joining the club in 2017.
And he says much of their success is down to Guardiola’s guidance, adding:
“It’s amazing. He shows you the way, then it’s all on you to put this theory into practice.
“He is like our team’s GPS: he gives the route and we follow. If you don’t develop as a player with Pep it’s because you didn’t want to.”
Meanwhile Amorim spoke for the first time since it was announced his close friend Viana is going to replace Txiki Begiristain at City.
And he said despite their friendship there is no certainty he will make the same move in the near future.
He said: “These are rumours. Viana will always be a great friend, but his professional trajectory will one day be different.
“One thing doesn’t lead to another. The main thing is that nothing has changed at Sporting, nothing. Viana will only leave at the end of the season.
“We don’t talk about it. They are two different paths. Viana’s path is Viana’s path, mine is mine.
“We have a professional relationship that will not last forever, but it is certain that the friendship will continue”
Amorim said he will have to make sure Viana stays out of the way when the two teams meet in the Champions League next month.
He said: “Of course, Viana won’t be able to enter the dressing room during that week because I won’t let him in to avoid conflicts, but that’s all that changes”.
