Niall Quinn has plenty of doubt regarding Manuel Pellegrini's future as manager of Manchester City.

Sunday's 4-2 derby loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford has led to a lot more speculation concerning the Chilean's tenure at the Etihad Stadium with former Sunderland chairman Quinn telling Sky Sports he is worried.

"It is getting messy for Pellegrini now. (Director of football Txiki) Begiristain and (CEO Ferran) Soriano will leave Old Trafford today with doubts in their mind about him going forward," said Quinn.

"They will report back to his owners who want to rule the soccer world overnight that this man is struggling a bit. It could cause him a big problem.

"If the recruitment is out of Pellegrini's control, they will still put it down to results. I've never yet seen a club turn around and say: 'It wasn't your fault, it was recruitment.'

"His head is on the block now, he is in the firing line. How they finish off the season is important. They've got to show something that they really want to play for this guy.

"I'm not so sure the great squad, spirit and passion they had last year is still in that dressing room. It's not a particularly comfortable place for Manuel Pellegirni to be in at the moment."