Pep Guardiola heaped praise on striker Erling Haaland who took his seasonal tally to 26 for City and Norway with a brace in the 3-1 win over Bournemouth.
His 17 goals for the Blues have come in just 13 games, leading his manager to claim he is playing at the same levels as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of productivity.
“This is what it’s like if you play with Messi or Ronaldo, his influence is so big,” said Pep.
“You see the numbers of that guy? Of course he’s that level.
“Messi and Ronaldo have done it for 15 years, but this is the level. The first goal, the way he shoots the ball, it’s like ‘I am going to score’.
“He has that hunger. It’s top. I said how incredibly coachable and manageable he is.
“I am tough sometimes with Haaland, but he is open-minded. He lives for the goals and sometimes the pressure cannot sustain 90 minutes, but that’s normal.
“Without him it would be tough to be honest, but we are lucky that Omar is back, and we have fit players, it’s good.”
The City boss also said Rayan Cherki was a ‘special talent’ after the French star assisted both Haaland’s goals against the Cherries.
“The vision in the final third is good, and he has the consistency and courage to play,” he said.
“The dynamic that we play, we need a little more time for the rhythm of the Premier League.
“He scored a goal and an assist against Swansea. Today, he made two assists and has a special talent with the connection to the people up front, it’s unique.
“It’s not just that, it’s many things. Step by step he can realise what we need to do.”