Pep Guardiola has heaped praise on Bruno Guimaraes ahead of Manchester City's FA Cup clash with Newcastle.
City will host Eddie Howe's side in the quarter-finals on Saturday with an eye on securing a historic second consecutive treble.
Meanwhile, Newcastle will be hoping to cause a major upset at the Etihad as they seek to win their first trophy since 1955.
And ahead of the match, Guardiola picked out 'exceptional' Guimaraes and spoke about the Brazilian midfielder in glowing terms.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, the City boss said: ‘He is an exceptional holding midfielder. He is aggressive, with the ball or without the ball.
‘At set pieces, he’s aggressive and is a real, complete holding midfielder since being at Lyon and now at a club who want to grow up and up.
‘I’m sure he’s part of the project for the next years. Definitely.’
Since signing for Newcastle, Guimaraes has been a central part of their team, and has developed an incredible relationship with the fans.
He has stood out in a disappointing season for the magpies, contributing with three goals and seven assists across all competitions.
The Brazil international has been linked with a summer move to the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid but he confirmed his intention to remain at Newcastle last month.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Guimaraes said: 'Sometimes the people speak a lot about me, I just think about football.
'I'm happy here, in this club doing my best. I love the way the fans like me so I focus on my football and let the people speak.
'Sometimes (people speak about me leaving Newcastle). I'm very happy here, enjoy it a lot. I never felt so much love for the fans like here.
'They've been unbelievable for me and my family so I try to play for fans. So I hope I can keep going here for as long as possible.'