Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has said that he 'cannot control himself' following his recent animated exchange with Southampton winger Nathan Redmond.

The Spanish coach was seen conducting a heated conversation with the Saints winger after City's 2-1 win over Mauricio Pellegrino's men, leading the Football Association to ask the City boss to explain his actions.

According to Guardiola, the 46-year-old had taken to the field to compliment Redmond's qualities and the coach has since told reporters that he wants to "improve" following the incident.

"I cannot control myself. I have to do that, hopefully I can improve," the Spaniard said during his pre-match press conference for the club's clash with West Ham United this weekend.

"What Redmond said in his statement, I admire him as a player and thank him for his comments. If people don't believe me, we should cancel our press conference.

"I've played in my career against lots of managers and I will never judge the way opponents play against one of my teams. It's so complicated when teams defend with 10 players. I said to Nathan you are a good player and you have to attack."

Guardiola has until Monday to respond to the FA's request for an explanation of the exchange.