Keeping Vincent Kompany involved with Manchester City, even if not in a playing capacity, is imperative, according to former City striker Shaun Goater.
Belgium international Kompany's stunning goal against Leicester on Monday night kept the Premier League title race in City's hands and Goater has heaped praise on the club's captain.
Goater, who scored 84 league goals for City from 1998 to 2003, said Kompany's leadership is a quality Pep Guardiola must try and keep at the Etihad.
"He has been an absolute rock, a man mountain," Goater told Sky Sports News. "But it's his leadership, not only on the field but off it as well.
"Whenever you hear him speak, he speaks about this club in the highest way.
"For me, he's been the best captain the club could ever have wanted, and he just has to remain involved in and around this club.
"I, like Vincent, believe he has another few seasons, so we can hope that he's involved from that angle, but if not, we're hoping he's involved in the club at some level."
In his post-match news conference, Guardiola said: "At the end of the season, we are going to talk to Vincent, clearly, he knows.
"He is an incredible human being, an incredible person, he helped me a lot.
"I was sad that we could not use him a lot for the process, but we always know we can count on his personality.
"This club is where it is thanks to guys like Vincent. At the end of the season, after the FA Cup, we are going to decide what is best for both parties.
"I said before that we will finish the season and after we are going to talk. I talked to him three weeks, one month ago.
"We spoke fluently two or three times about it being his last year and after we would take a beer together and going to decide what was best for him and the club. So, there are no problems about that."