Man City's Champions League ban could see Pep Guardiola leave and a player exodus follow, Clinton Morrison told Soccer Saturday.
Guardiola's current deal is due to expire in 2021, the halfway point in a two-year suspension City were handed by UEFA on Friday night for breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
City are appealing the ban, but as it stands this season will be the manager's last chance of delivering the Champions League to the Etihad before his contract is up.
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And Morrison expects UEFA's decision to have repercussions for the futures of City's playing staff and Guardiola, who twice led Barcelona to the Champions League and has managed in the competition every season of his career to date.
He said: "It wouldn't look great if he jumped ship now. They've still got this season, and people are still making them favourites to win the Champions League - I don't know how, for me Liverpool are the favourites to go on and win the Champions League this season.
"But it'd be a massive blow. If City can't play in the Champions League for the next two seasons, I can't see him staying around.
"He's already won the Premier League a few times, he's not going to be happy with that. Two years without being in it? Then I think it'll have a knock-on effect, and they'll end up losing players. Can they attract the players? Listen, Man City are a huge club and they've got all that money, but if you're not playing Champions League football are the players going to come?"
'CAS verdict could devalue 2014 title win'
City have already confirmed they will challenge UEFA's ruling, which they have vehemently criticised, at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) - the same body which reduced Chelsea's two-window transfer ban to one window last year.
The Premier League are also conducting their own investigations into City's conduct with regards to FFP rules, and Soccer Saturday pundit Matt Le Tissier said if CAS ruled UEFA's ban as lawful, it would overshadow the club's 2013/14 Premier League win which came during the period covered by the original investigation.
He said: "You'd probably have to say it does. They won it by breaking the laws that are in place. It clearly would tarnish it a little bit. I don't think it'll ever be expunged from the records, but there'll be an asterisk against it for ever more.
"A points deduction is what they could give. They'll still be challenging for the title. They have to seen to be doing something."