Simon Stone
BBC Sport’s chief football news reporter

It was something of a surprise on Thursday night to learn Pep Guardiola had signed a two-year contract extension at Manchester City.

Along with many other journalists, I was under the impression Guardiola had agreed a single-year deal, with the option for another season if he still fancied it in 2026.

It seemed a reasonable enough question to ask for clarification at Guardiola’s news conference this lunchtime.

And the answer was interesting.

Effectively, Guardiola said he had done it because he did not want to be in the same situation next season that he has been in this one – answering questions about his future virtually from the moment he returned for the start of pre-season.

That does not scream longevity.

Guardiola has never broken a contract but can it be completely ruled out that the second year is a convenient way of dealing with a issue the former Barcelona boss did not want to be bothered with and he will exit City in 18 months’ time?