Pep Guardiola dismissed the idea that Liverpool are now Manchester City 's main ' derby ' rivals.
The Blues and Jurgen Klopp's side have become major rivals for honours in the last thee years, while Manchester United have slipped behind both clubs in terms of competing for honours.
Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson always claimed Liverpool against United was the biggest rivalry, dismissing the Manchester derby as being of secondary importance.
With City struggling to stay in the Premier League in that era, and even dipping down into the third tier of English football, the United vs Liverpool rivalry flourished, but City's return to being a power in English football, and United's relative downturn, might have seen a role reversal.
Liverpool have improved hugely under Klopp, and they and City are generally seen as the best two sides in the country, despite Leicester's brilliant run this season.
United fans still claim Liverpool are their biggest rivals, while United remain the team that City fans want to beat more than any other - although beating Liverpool has now become almost equal.
Guardiola was asked whether the Liverpool rivalry is now bigger than the derby, but Guardiola implied such matters are for the fans to decide.
“I know for the years I wasn’t here we were the noisy neighbours," he said, a reference to Sir Alex's dismissal of City's increased presence after Sheikh Mansour's takeover in 2008.
Guardiola went on: “Now I don't know who we are. In Spain the derbies were Espanyol and Real. Here in England there are many top teams not just one or two like in other countries.
"Other top teams are important. I am not here for one century. I know what United means to Man City fans."
