Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola extends contract till 2023

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has signed a new two-year contract that will keep him in charge until the end of the 2022-23 season, the Premier League club said on Thursday.

The Spaniard has guided City to two Premier League titles, three League Cups and an FA Cup since his arrival in 2016.

"Pep`s contract extension is the natural next step in a journey which has evolved over many years," City chairman Khaldoon Mubarak said in a statement.

"It is a product of the mutual trust and respect that exists between him and the entire club."

Guardiola`s current five-year stay at City is his longest spell in charge of a club since he began his managerial career in 2008.

The 49-year-old managed Barcelona from 2008-12 and spent three years in charge of Bayern Munich before joining City.

"Ever since I arrived at Manchester City I have been made to feel so welcome in the club and in the city itself," Guardiola said in Thursday`s club statement.

"Since then we have achieved a great deal together, scored goals, won games and trophies, and we are all very proud of that success."

Under Guardiola, City became the first English top-flight club to collect 100 points in a season when they cruised to the title in 2017-18.

They successfully defended their title the following season to become the first team in a decade to win back-to-back Premier League crowns.

Guardiola`s City side are currently 10th in the Premier League with 12 points from seven games, six behind pacesetters Leicester City with a game in hand.

They visit second-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.