UEFA banned City from the Champions League for breaching their Financial Fair Play rules, but the Premier League champions will be taking their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) to appeal the judgement.

The decision has led to fears that City’s big players and in particular their manager would leave the club, with Guardiola’s current deal expiring at the end of next season anyway and amid speculation he would leave a year early.

However, after City’s 2-0 win over West Ham in the Premier League, Guardiola emphatically emphasised his loyalty to the club by stating he’d be in charge at the Etihad next season regardless of their Champions League status.

He said: “Personally, no matter what happens I will be here next season. If the club don’t sack me I will stay here 100 per cent – more than ever.

“I say now that I will stay until the end of my contract. I will stay and continue to help them maintain this level as soon as possible.

“Why should I leave when I said a month ago that I love this club and I like to be here? “We spoke with the players and for the next three months here we are going to focus on what we have to do and then we will have to see the sentence.”

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