Manuel Pellegrini has claimed that Manchester City hitman Sergio Aguero is on a par with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi following his five-goal blitz of Newcastle United.

The Argentine striker was one shy of an unprecedented double hat-trick on Saturday when Pellegrini's men thumped the Magpies 6-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

All five of his goals came in a 20-minute period, and the Chilean manager is adamant that the 27-year-old deserves to be held in similar esteem as the Primera Liga titans.

"After what we have seen here, of course Kun [Aguero] is at that level. I have already said that after Ronaldo and Messi he is the best player in the world," he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News.

"He always makes important things [contributions] in competitions.

"But the important thing is, not only for Kun, but as a team we must continue to improve, to win the Premier League again and to win the Champions League, because Messi and Ronaldo are always involved in that competition and that is very important for a player."

Aguero, who joined the Sky Blues for £38m from Atletico Madrid in 2011, has finished as their top goalscorer in three of his four seasons in England.