Roy Keane admits Manchester City taught him last season to never write them off in the Premier League title race.
City were eight points behind Liverpool at Christmas in 2020, but recovered to overtake the defending champions and coast to the title by 12 points ahead of Manchester United and an eventual 17 points ahead of Liverpool.
This season, City are top at Christmas, with Liverpool three points adrift in second and Chelsea another three points behind them in what has been a tight three-horse title race in recent months.
Assessing the three contenders, Manchester United legend Keane was asked by City favourite Micah Richards who he was backing for the title. In response, Keane admitted last season taught him a valuable lesson about the current leaders.
"We did a game last year, I didn't write off City, but I said they lost their mojo. Then they won the league like a doddle. I know they put in the hard work, but they won it from United being second. I'd never bet against City, I've learned my lesson from last year.
"It doesn't mean Liverpool and Chelsea can't pip them to the title, but Pep's the man."
Expanding on his admiration for Pep Guardiola, Keane debunked a common criticism levelled at the City boss - that he's only successful because he has the best players.
"I look at all the managers and he's the best," Keane explained.
"You look at Pep's CV and people say 'he's got the best players', but you still have to manage them, find a style of play. If you were going to pick a team to watch, it'd be Man City."
