‘Sergio was best as a teenager...’

SERGIO Aguero has wowed Europe for the last 12 years … but he was even better as a teenager!

That was the view of Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli, who reckons that the City ace still has room for improvement after more than a decade of elite goalscoring.

Blues boss Pep Guardiola has improved the 29-year-old again this season, and he is on course to break his personal best goals tally.

But Sampaoli thinks that Kun was actually at his best when he turned out for Independiente – and scored 23 goals in 56 games.

When asked whether Aguero is now playing the best football of his career, the Albiceleste boss came up with a surprising answer.

“For me, Sergio Aguero’s best version was when he was with Independiente and that’s the Aguero I want,” he said.

“The one that resolves problems himself with his play and personality. Today’s version is sensational but I think he can get even better.”

City are hopeful that Aguero, pictured, can overcome his knee problem by the time the Blues square up to Everton a week on Saturday. VINCENT Kompany says that the upcoming derby is much bigger than the two Champions League games against Liverpool in the eyes of City fans.

And the Blues skipper reckons – although he did have a smile on his face when he said it – that even some Reds supporters are rooting for them when they take on the Scousers!

Kompany is expected to lead his team out at the Etihad Stadium on April 7, when the Blues could clinch the Premier League title by beating the United.

That depends on City winning at Everton in their next game, at Goodison Park a week on Saturday.

But the derby has been complicated by the fact that the Blues now face Liverpool in a two-legged European quarter-final either side of their crunch match against United.

And Kompany says that, despite the magnitude of the game against Liverpool, it is dwarfed by the prospect of winning the title.

“Go with your camera and microphone around the streets of Manchester and find a few Blue fans and a few Red fans and they’ll tell you what they want to happen and what they don’t want to happen,” Kompany told Sky Sports.

“It is the only thing people talk about in Manchester right now. The Champions League is obviously massive, somehow I feel like we do get a little bit of support from the United fans for that fixture. “But other than that the game against United is the biggest thing to talk about – but we still have to play Everton.” The idea that United fans might want City to beat Liverpool might be a bit far-fetched – the most popular scenario we at M.E.N. Sport have heard is that both teams get disqualified and Porto have to play off against Basel for a place in the semi-finals! Kompany, who is currently with the Belgium squad gearing up for next Tuesday’s international friendly against Saudi Arabia, has again established Vincent Kompany on City’s clash with Liverpool himself as first choice under Pep Guardiola.

And once he and the rest of the squad return from international duty, they face a crucial 11-day period in which they could wrap up the league title and progress to the Champions League semifinals.

Kompany is already exerting his influence, by warning his teammates that there can be no let-up from now until the end of the season – and even then he does not expect standards to slip.

“You need that positive vibe to finish the season strongly, carry on playing at the same level but then as well going into the next season and feeling that you still have that mojo,” he said.

“You can easily lose it even if you’re champions.

“It is a big 11 days when it comes to the bigger picture.”