Neville: ‘City’s best years still ahead...’

CITY have at least ‘four or five years’ ahead of them with an exciting team, according to ex-Red Gary Neville.

Pep Guardiola’s side were far too good for anyone else in the Premier League last season as they wrapped up the title in early April.

Neville was still playing the last time any side successfully defended the league in English football – he made 16 appearances in the United side that achieved the feat in 2009.

However, City’s recruitment strategy in dramatically overhauling the profile of their squad has impressed the former defender.

“If you looked at the team two or three years ago and you looked at the spine of Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany, Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero, you wondered if they were getting old together,” he said.

“You had the full-backs Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov but all of a sudden you look at this team and it’s a good age.

“Within 12 to 18 months – three transfer windows – what Pep Guardiola has done in terms of the recruitment, the squad looks like it’s the perfect age and could be around for three or four seasons.

“There’s a bit of experience with Kompany and Aguero which you need, but the rest of them you would think have four or five of their best years still left in them and they are talented players.”