PEP AND MAN CITY - THE UNTOLD DECADE, Part 5: The Great Reinventor. JACK GAUGHAN reveals the reason Guardiola stayed one more year, how close City came to signing Lionel Messi and the epic parting gift the manager leaves behind

In the fifth instalment of a Daily Mail series on Pep Guardiola's decade at Manchester City, journalist Jack Gaughan reveals the key reasons Guardiola chose to stay at the club for an additional year rather than departing. The piece explores how close City came to signing Lionel Messi and details the major rebuilding effort Guardiola undertook in what became his final cycle at the club. Guardiola reportedly felt he could not leave City in their current struggling state, prompting one last reinvention of the squad.