Aguero reveals why he dyed his hair prior to Manchester derby

Manchester City star Sergio Aguero has admitted to dying his hair before the derby against Manchester United because of a bet with a family member.

The 30-year-old striker shocked onlookers when he emerged from the Etihad Stadium tunnel on derby day with his usual dark brown hair coloured in a striking silver style.

However the change in physical appearance did not affect Aguero's strong record against the Red Devils as he scored the second goal in a comfortable 3-1 win - an effort that equalled Wayne Rooney's record of eight strikes in the fixture.

Aguero revealed a taunt from his brother drove him to make the hair change, while also joking he pulled the new look off better than former Italian striker Fabrizio Ravanelli, who played Premier League football for Middlesbrough and Derby County.

"[My brother] challenged me, ‘don’t you dare do it before the game against United’, and I did it. My son likes it and is happy," Aguero told Sky Sports.

"I’m better than [Fabrizio] Ravanelli! More beautiful, no? I like it.”

Aguero's eight Premier League goals have him leading the race for the golden boot - one strike ahead of Chelsea star Eden Hazard and Gunners attacker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Among the league's top 15 scorers, Aguero's record of a goal every 111 minutes is only bettered by Manchester United's Anthony Martial (106 minutes).

The Argentinian attacker believes his top form this campaign is linked to the post-season knee surgery he had prior to the World Cup.

"I had some discomfort, and then at the end of last season I decided to go for surgery before the World Cup," he said.

"Since then, I feel great, I don’t feel pain at all, and that’s probably why I’m enjoying it more and feeling fitter."

Manchester City resume their quest for back-to-back Premier League titles with a match at West Ham on Saturday - hoping to extend the two-point lead they hold over Liverpool in the championship race.