Former Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong has selected a surprise candidate to replace Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola still has plenty of time at the Etihad Stadium, with his contract running up until the summer of 2023.
But he has already confirmed he will leave the Citizens after his current contract, hoping to take a break before returning to a fresh project elsewhere.
City are still some way off finding their next manager, but they will have to look come next season, and there will be plenty of interest around what is a very attractive job given what Guardiola has built and the resources available.
Some very high profile names are likely to be linked with the job, but former City midfielder de Jong has mentioned another name.
Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira is the man of choice for de Jong, the former Arsenal midfielder working under the City Group previously at New York City FC.
“I don’t really like talking about coaches being linked with other jobs when they’re already at clubs or the current coach is still there – especially in the case of Pep Guardiola and Manchester City,” de Jong told Ladbrokes via the Metro.
“If I’m being really honest and looking at things as a fan who loves City dearly, I’d love to see Guardiola in charge for another 5-10 years. I want him to have a similar spell to what Sir Alex Ferguson had at Manchester United, to really amplify his DNA into the club.
“The one thing that’s always certain in football, though, as a manager, is that you’re going to move on; be it by getting sacked or by walking.
“Patrick Vieira is always going to be a name that’s linked with the City job because of the relationship he has with the club; it’s the same with Arsenal whenever Mikel Arteta moves on.
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“There are always going to be rumours flying around, and they’re based on the fact that he’s a leading figure; he led by example as a player and it looks like he does the same as a coach.
“The transition from player to coach is so different, but Patrick has so far enjoyed great success with Crystal Palace. He’s a number one contender for the Manchester City job for sure.”