Brazilian legend Ronaldinho feels Pep Guardiola is the right manager to take Manchester City to the next level. The Catalan tactician joined the Citizens during the previous campaign and endured the first trophyless season of his professional career.

However, the Mancunian giants have made significant progress during the current campaign with Guardiola significantly bolstering his backline in the summer. The likes of Ederson and Kyle Walker have been regulars in the starting line-up, and their presence has added more calm to a previously leaky defence.

In an interview with The Mirror, Ronaldinho was asked whether Guardiola could replicate the Barcelona success at City, to which he replied: "I believe so. As a player, he was already playing with a very technical mind, so he was playing as a coach, thinking about everything like a coach. So he has a deep knowledge of football.

Ronaldinho had ended his association with Barca, just prior to Guardiola's reign, but he was nevertheless full of praise for the Spaniard, he added: "I had the ¬opportunity to play with the biggest coach in my career - that was Frank Rijkaard. But Guardiola's style of ¬arranging the team, passing the ball and the beautiful game that everybody likes to watch, means it would be a pleasure for any player to have the ¬honour to play for him."

The Citizens have made a strong start in Guardiola's second season in charge with 34 points from the opening 12 matches. They currently hold an eight-point advantage over Manchester United in the standings, and they look good value to go all the way having preserved a 100 percent record against top-six opposition to date.

City take on local rivals United in early December, and the game offers them the opportunity to bridge a further gap over Jose Mourinho's men, whom many believe are the main competitions for this season's Premier League crown.