'I have energy' – Fans fear Pep Guardiola will follow Jurgen Klopp ...

Pep Guardiola has already reassured Man City supporters who might fear that he could follow Jurgen Klopp in quitting the Premier League.

The Liverpool boss shocked the football world on Friday by announcing his decision to leave Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season following nine years at Anfield.

Klopp and Guardiola are friends and rivals both on and off the pitchCredit: AFP

Explaining the decision, Klopp said: "It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy.

"I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now.

"I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again."

Since taking charge of Liverpool, Klopp has won just about every trophy available to him - Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Sheild, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup - with only the Europa League eluding him so far, while leading a staggering 466 games and counting.

The only manager in the Premier League who can truly understand the demands that Klopp has been facing is Guardiola.

Appointed by Man City in 2016, Guardiola has managed City 445 times and won 16 trophies along the way, including the stunning four-trophy haul in 2023 with the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League and Club World Cup.

But for fans who may be worrying that Guardiola is feeling jaded in the same way Klopp is, the Spaniard's comments from last autumn can be some comfort.

Speaking in November, Guardiola said: “I have energy. I’m not going to answer. One year and a half is a lot of time in football. I arrived here with long hair and look what happened.”

Klopp has announced his shock decision to leave Liverpool at the end of the season Pep Guardiola knows exactly what it's like to manage one of the Premier League's top sides for a long periodCredit: Getty

Asked if staying beyond the end of his current contract was a possibility, Guardiola said: “Yeah of course – I can leave tomorrow [too].

"I would have loved the team that won 100 points [in the 2017/18 season] to stay eternally. At all the clubs this happens.”

As alluded to in his comments, Guardiola has just under 18 months left on his contract at the Etihad Stadium.

But while Premier League fans will have to say goodbye to Pep one day, the hope is that we aren't saying goodbye to Klopp and Guardiola at the same time.