Barcelona, July 5: Pep Guardiola accepts it could take 10 years more to put Manchester City in the same bracket alongside Europe's heavyweight clubs like Juventus, Real Madrid, and Barcelona.

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The Spanish manager is looking forward to the next season after a disappointing first 12 months at the Etihad Stadium, where he finished the campaign without a trophy and the former Barcelona manager now warned his supporters that it will take a long period before City can count themselves among Europe's elite.

"I hope to have as much fun here as in the first season because I enjoyed it," he told L'Esportiu, the Catalan daily sports newspaper.

"There are people who say that it has not gone well, but it's the exception to what I've done so far - seven years of coaching and six leagues won.

"This year we weren't there but you must realise that even Barcelona haven't made it to semifinals each year.

"City are a great club, they have played in the Champions League for five straight years, they are the only Premier League club to have done that.

"But to reach the level of Barca, Real Madrid, Bayern [Munich], Juventus, that is very complicated. You need time -- a decade."

Guardiola has already added playmaker Bernardo Silva and goalkeeper Ederson Moraes to his squad, with deals for full-backs Dani Alves, Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker and Alexis Sanchez are also reportedly very close.

The two times UCL winner have already spend a lump sum amount of £250m till now however, he suggested his squad needs a proper overhaul as he felt he inherited an ageing team and he should make the important changes that will enable them to be more competitive next season.

"We are trying to make the necessary changes to reinforce the team," he said. "It was one of the league's oldest, a team that had achieved many successes but had grown old.

"I played with eight or nine of Pellegrini's players - they are good, but we had to rejuvenate the team.

"We have rejuvenated with Gabriel Jesus, Ilkay Gundogan, and Leroy Sane. I always thought what would have happened if we'd had Vincent Kompany, Gabriel Jesus and Gundogan all year.

"We want it - and we have time to do it."

Pep Guardiola's side will head to the United States to take part in the International Champions Cup on July 20th, which features a number of big clubs, including Manchester United.

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