The Manchester City boss has admitted his immediate future is not reliant on trophies, but says he would rather win the title and be fired than endure five barren years at the club
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has suggested success this season will have no bearing on his future at the Etihad Stadium, but says he would rather win the title and be sacked than stick around for five trophyless years.

Pep Guardiola is widely expected to take over from Pellegrini in the summer no matter how City perform on the pitch in the current campaign, leaving the Chilean to face questions about his future on a weekly basis.

He has steadfastly refused to entertain speculation concerning Guardiola but has, at times, let his guard slip when it comes to his own prospects and the decisions of the club.

On Tuesday, as Guardiola told reporters that his next stop will be the Premier League, the current Manchester City manager said: “I don’t think my position in the future is linked to titles.

"For me, as a manager, it’s important to win the title because it’s my job. Personally, my way of thinking is that if I have the option to renew here for five years more and don't win the title, or to win the title and be sacked, I’d prefer to win the title and be sacked.

"For a manager, your work is to win the title, so the other... it doesn’t matter what happens."

Despite his own precarious situation at the Etihad Stadium, the City boss also defended the right of club owners to make decisions based on factors other than winning silverware.

Pellegrini, who has managed a number of clubs in Europe and South America, is well placed to discuss such issues, especially given he was sacked by Real Madrid in 2010 despite guiding the club to what was at the time a record points tally.

That was only enough for Madrid to finish second, behind Guardiola's Barcelona, and Pellegrini was shown the door after just one season, with Jose Mourinho coming in to replace him.

Speaking less than 24 hours after Rafael Benitez became the 12th Madrid manager to leave the Santiago Bernabeu on president Florentino Perez's watch, Pellegrini says club owners should not just focus on titles.

“I don’t think so. I think that if you are the owner of a club, you must have the option to replace the manager if they win the title or if they don’t win the title.

"It just is about trust in the way you work. That is more important than if you win a title or not for the owners. That’s why we are just talking about Real Madrid always changing if you don’t win a title. I don’t think that’s the best way. On the other side, you can win a title, and of course the owner can not be happy with your work and they have the right to change. But as managers, the most important thing is to win.”

City face Everton in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final on Wednesday night as they look to keep alive their hopes of success on all fronts this season.

Pellegrini's men finished top of their Champions League group and will be confident of overcoming Dynamo Kiev to make the competition's quarter-finals for the first time in the club's history.

Despite not picking up a domestic victory away from home in three months, the Blues are just three points off the top of the Premier League table and will get their FA Cup campaign underway against Norwich City on Saturday.