Newly appointed Leeds United manager Sam Allardyce has claimed he’s as good as Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

“Far too many people think I am old and antiquated, which is so far from the truth,” Allardyce told a press conference on Wednesday. “I may be 68 and look old but there’s nobody ahead of me in football terms, not Pep (Guardiola), not (Jurgen) Klopp, not (Mikel) Arteta, so it’s all there with me.

“I share what they do and I do what I do but in terms of knowledge and depth of knowledge, I’m up there with them – I’m not saying I’m better than them – but certainly as good as they are.”

Allardyce’s first game in charge of Leeds United will be against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Reacting to the claim by Allardyce, Guardiola said: “He’s right. Look what happened with Neil Warnock at Huddersfield. These incredible managers.

“It looks like the young managers, with the tactics and whatever… but they are really good, they help us be who we are. They have incredible experience.”

Guardiola also referenced Allardyce straight after City beat West Ham 3-0 on Wednesday night.

“Every game is hard. The day was so cold and windy,” Guardiola said. “We didn’t play bad but our structure wasn’t great. We didn’t score in the beginning but we pushed on. I’m really pleased with five games left.

“This was one of our games in hand and we used it well. On Saturday at 3pm we face Sam Allardyce.”