Going into the Manchester derby on Thursday night, City manager Pep Guardiola had a lot to say about his United counterparts.

It seems that he thinks very highly of young forward Marcus Rashford, while he jumped to the defence of midfielder Paul Pogba, who has struggled to live up to his price tag during his first season back in English football.

However, Guardiola feels that the France international has been playing much better than his critics have been giving him credit for and that fans can look forward to seeing the best of him next season.

There were even a few good words for England international Jesse Lingard, who has stepped up his performances under Jose Mourinho this term.

But despite his high praise for the duo, there is only one man who he says would have been able to fit into the all-conquering Barcelona sides he oversaw nearly a decade ago.

Considering he has had the enormous privilege of managing players like Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Xabi Alonso, he knows what kind of players will fit into his system better than anybody.

And it seems that the man in question is none other than veteran midfielder Michael Carrick.

Carrick is held in such high regard that manager Jose Mourinho is wary about finding a player who can influence a game in the same way the 35-year-old can, and now it has emerged that Guardiola is a big admirer of him, too.

“I am a big fan of Michael Carrick," Guardiola said as per the Manchester Evening News.

“He is one of the best holding midfielders I’ve ever seen in my life by far.

“He’s the level of Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets in Barcelona and Munich.

“All of them (United’s English players) they are perfect.

“Rashford is a big talent, of course, and Lingard.

“England is safe, you have outstanding players.

“Not just here in City – United, Tottenham, Chelsea. Come on guys - you can do it, the international team.”

All to play for

Pogba has been ruled out of the derby with muscle fatigue, but his performances have been visibly better when Carrick has been anchoring the midfield behind him.

Many have likened it to when Andrea Pirlo performed the same role behind him when the pair played together at Juventus, which is partly why United were compelled to splash out a world-record fee to land his signature.

Much is riding on the outcome of the derby with both sides still hoping to book a place in the top four and an easier route into the Champions League next season.