Ajax coach Erik ten Hag has declared Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola as the best in the world.

Ten Hag, the Dutchman who got a close-up view of Guardiola's methods when he was in charge of Bayern Munich's reserve team and the Catalan was winning three successive Bundesliga titles, reckons a season of failure at ­ Manchester City prompted Pep to perfect his philosophy.

He said: “Only once in his career has Pep made a mistake – in his first year at ­Manchester City when he completely ­underestimated the power and speed of the Premier League.

“He realised that you can't play the kind of football he loves without ­having a couple of physically strong athletes – and so he brought them in. So he's not a stubborn coach.

“Yes, he is stubborn in his ­philosophy, but not in the ­execution. And that makes him the best.

“Nobody will ever forget ­Guardiola. He has won so many trophies for a start – but it is mainly about how his teams play.

“Guardiola only wants to win games with beautiful football, just like his teacher Johan Cruyff.

“And what makes him stand out is that he is proving his quality as a top coach in Spain, Germany and now England.

“He has adapted to the culture in every country."