Former Manchester City striker Niall Quinn has slammed his old club for undermining Manuel Pellegrini.

Quinn watched his old side fall apart in the weeks and months after their announcement that Pep Guardiola would replace Manuel Pellegrini at the end of the season.

He told the Daily Star Sunday: “There is no doubt at all that the announcement destabilised the club.

“After making a brilliant start to the season they had just dropped off for a bit – but they had got themselves together again.

“They had an outstanding chance of winning the league considering that Chelsea and Man United were out of it.

“They had more about them to win a title than anyone. They were in with a shout to win four trophies but handed the FA Cup tie to Chelsea with the team Pellegrini selected.

"Okay, they then won the Capital One Cup which was fine but the Spurs and Leicester defeats both came within a week or two and changed the whole face of things.

“Pellegrini has been kind to the club given how little he has had to say about the whole saga. But to me, the call to bring in Guardiola destabilised everything he was doing.

“Morale in the dressing room dropped and became flat.

“The level of courage and commitment that we saw from Leicester was sadly lacking in what was supposed to be the better squad at City."