Yaya Toure has insisted that his Manchester City teammate Sergio Aguero has proven that he is still "one of the best strikers in the world".

After Gabriel Jesus arrived at the Etihad Stadium in January, questions were raised over Aguero's long-term future as he was pushed to the bench by the 19-year-old Brazilian.

Since the youngster fractured his metatarsal, Aguero has returned to Pep Guardiola's lineup and has impressed in the process, scoring five goals in all competitions.

"I think he has been in good form for some time," Toure told reporters. "He is such an important player for us. People were talking, saying is this the end of Aguero? But now I think he is showing he is one of the best strikers in the world.

"He is one of the most difficult strikers to handle. He is short, but he is big-legged. It is difficult to keep him quiet."

The Argentine is City's current top scorer with 12 Premier League goals and a further 11 in other competitions.