Manchester City have confirmed Pep Guardiola is leaving at the end of the season. The manager is to step away after Sunday’s match at home to Aston Villa with one year on his contract, and City have lined up Enzo Maresca to replace him.“What a time we have had together,” Guardiola said. “Don’t ask me the reasons I’m leaving. There is no reason, but deep inside I know it’s my time. Nothing is eternal. If it was, I would be here. Eternal will be the feeling, the people, the memories, the love I have for my Manchester City.”Guardiola told his squad of his decision on Monday night after the news broke. He has been City’s manager for 10 years, winning 17 major trophies, including this season’s Carabao Cup and FA Cup. Hopes of a domestic treble ended on Tuesday when City’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth made Arsenal the Premier League champions.Maresca has agreed in principle a three-year deal to succeed Guardiola, who he assisted at City in the 2022-23 season. Maresca has been out of work since leaving Chelsea on New Year’s Day. Chelsea are in line for sizeable compensation for the Italian, who departed with three and a half years on his deal, plus the club option of an extra year.Guardiola said with a nod to Manchester’s history: “This is a city built from work. From graft. You see it in the colour of the bricks. From people who clocked in early, stayed late. The factories. The Pankhursts. The unions. The music. Simply the industrial revolution and how this changed the world. And I think I grew to understand that, and my teams did too. We worked. We suffered. We fought. And we did things our own way. Our way.”He thanked his “exceptional” players and said: “You don’t know it yet, but you are leaving a legacy.”City’s chair, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, said: “There have been points along the way when he could have stopped, and it would have been enough. Somehow, Pep always found new energy and pushed on, finding different and innovative ways to continue winning and delivering success.”Michael Carrick signed a two-year contract as Manchester United head coach. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA Meanwhile, Michael Carrick has been appointed the new permanent head coach of Manchester United. The former midfielder has been rewarded with the job on a two-year contract after a successful interim spell, leading the side to third in the Premier League and securing Champions League qualification with three games to spare.Carrick said in a statement: “From the moment that I arrived here 20 years ago, I felt the magic of Manchester United. Carrying the responsibility of leading our special football club fills me with immense pride.“Throughout the past five months this group of players have shown they can reach the standards of resilience, togetherness and determination that we demand here. Now it’s time to move forward together, with ambition and a clear sense of purpose. Manchester United and our incredible supporters deserve to be challenging for the biggest honours again.”Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim in January with United seventh in the Premier League and out of both domestic cup competitions. The mood was close to rock bottom at Old Trafford and the task of reversing that appeared substantial. But Carrick got off to an excellent start, leading United to a 2-0 home victory over Manchester City, and has guided the club back to the Champions League after a two-year hiatus, winning 11 and drawing three of his 16 games.The recruitment process was led by United’s director of football Jason Wilcox, who recommended Carrick’s permanent appointment to CEO Omar Berrada. The decision was signed off by the minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family, who still own a majority stake in the club.Wilcox said: “Michael has thoroughly earned the opportunity to continue leading our men’s team. In the time he has been doing the role, we have seen positive results on the pitch, but more than that, an approach which aligns with the club’s values, traditions and history.“Michael’s achievements in leading the club back to the Champions League should not be understated. He has forged a strong bond with the players and can be proud of the winning culture at Carrington and in the dressingroom, which we are continuing to build.”Carrick, who enjoyed a storied 12-year playing career at United having joined from Tottenham in 2006, quickly established himself as a popular figure within the dressingroom. Kobbie Mainoo, whom Carrick restored to the team after the midfielder was ostracised by Amorim, spoke about wanting “to die for him on the pitch”. Matheus Cunha was among other United players who backed Carrick.This will be Carrick’s first permanent managerial role since being sacked by Middlesbrough in June 2025 and, with United back in Europe, he will have to oversee a far busier schedule than in his interim spell.The 44-year-old will also need to bolster a squad that continues to look short of what is required to compete for major honours, especially given the summer departure of the influential Brazil midfielder Casemiro. – Guardian