Pellegrini: I don’t feel betrayed

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini insists he does not feel let down by the club or his successor Pep Guardiola, as his time in Manchester comes to an end.

The Citizens face Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final, first-leg clash at home on Tuesday night, and the 62-year-old is looking forward to ending his career at Etihad on a high.

“I do not feel betrayed by Guardiola or the club, not at all,” Pellegrini told El Pais. “I always knew that I had a contract for three years and that the club wanted to hire Guardiola at some point. Those three years have passed and now City will work with Pep.

“I do not hold anything against Pep. He has behaved in the most correct way possible. I do not bear a grudge against him at all.

“I have a good relationship with [sporting director] Txiki Begiristain and [chief executive] Ferran Soriano as well. I have good memories of my time with City and am grateful for the opportunity they gave me. I always enjoyed working with them.”

He added: “I am not thinking about what I am handing over to Guardiola. I am only thinking about winning the Champions League.

“I am leaving behind a team that has won the Premier League title and scored the most goals in a season ever.

“We made it past the group stages of the Champions League for the first time, we made it past the quarter-finals. City did not win a single game in the Champions League the year before I got here, now we are in the semi-finals. We have made progress.”