Sven confirms City departure on the cards

Sven-Goran Eriksson has publicly admitted for the first time that he could be leaving Manchester City at the end of the season.

Ahead of City's final game of the season, at Middlesbrough on Sunday, Eriksson declined to go into any detail about his future after it emerged that the club's owner Thasksin Shinawatra wants to replace him.

But he did acknowledge that his time at City could be over. “It is a possibility, of course it is,” said the former England boss.

“It is not a secret to anyone in the world of football. But we will see, nothing is confirmed. Let's play the last game and have a little bit of patience. The fact is we will probably know next week.”

Eriksson admitted earlier this week that he was considering an offer to take over as head coach at Benfica, a role he has twice filled successfully in the past.

But he is understood to have a preference for remaining in England or moving to Italy.

Thaksin has grown disillusioned with Eriksson over the course of a season which City started very strongly only to fade over the second half of the campaign.

The club nevertheless is on track to secure a place in the UEFA Cup next season after England was granted an extra place for topping European football's Fair Play league.

Barring a rash of bookings in the Middlesbrough match, that place will go to City as they currently top England's Fair Play league.

City are on course to finish Eriksson's first season in charge at least ninth in the Premier League table, a significant improvement on their 14th-placed finish to the 2006-07 campaign.