Football agent Mino Raiola has branded Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola a "coward" over the Spaniard's methods of management.

Raiola, who has brokered high-profile deals such as Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic's moves to Manchester United, praised Guardiola's success as a coach, but said that as a person, the City boss is "zero".

The comments are in relation to Guardiola's decision to push Ibrahimovic out of Barcelona to AC Milan, meaning that the Swede missed out on a Champions League winners' medal when Barca defeated United in the final.

"Pep Guardiola, the coach, is fantastic. As a person he's an absolute zero. He's a coward, a dog," Raiola told reporters. "He's a classic priest. 'Do as I tell you – don't do what I do....' If Manchester City win the Champions League this season it will emphasise what a good coach he is – but I'll hate it.

"I went for him that night in the corridors at Wembley [in 2011]- only Adriano Galliani, AC Milan's chairman, stopped me. Lucky for Guardiola.

"Guardiola told Zlatan to go to him if he ever had any problems or complaints. But then he just ignored him and wasn't playing him. He didn't even say: 'Hello' to Zlatan. Guardiola did the same to Maxwell who is a lovely lad. So I told Zlatan to go and park his Ferrari in the manager's spot."

Guardiola's City are currently 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.