Pep Guardiola speaks on Mikel Arteta's future amid Arsenal links

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has said that Mikel Arteta will remain with the club for the rest of the season and only after that, he would be permitted to choose a managerial role.

Arteta has been the assistant to Guardiola since the summer of 2016 but he has been regularly fancied to step into management with a top club in the Premier League.

Among those, Arsenal and Everton have been linked with his services over the past year and reports have claimed that he is one of the prime targets to replace Unai Emery, who is under immense pressure at the Emirates.

Despite the speculation, Guardiola has clearly stated that Arteta will be staying put with the Cityzens this term but may consider the upgrade to the head coach position next summer.

"Of course he [Arteta] will be a manager sooner or later, he's young, always he'll have that. We are going to finish the season and in the future I don't know what will happen. I'd like him to stay with us as much as possible," he told The Times.

Arsenal have failed to win any of the previous five league games but the board have continued to stick with Emery. However, the trust may not last long with a number of key players voicing their concern over the manager's tactics.