Danny Murphy believes Sergio Aguero would receive more praise if he played for Liverpool or Manchester United.
Aguero scored a hat-trick in Manchester City's 6-1 thrashing of Aston Villa on Sunday, moving him two goals ahead of Thierry Henry to become the Premier League's all-time leading foreign goalscorer.
The Argentina international, who also became the first player to score 12 Premier League hat-tricks at the weekend, has won four titles at the Etihad Stadium.
Nevertheless, some believes that Aguero still does not receive sufficient recognition for his exploits in England.
And Murphy thinks the situation would be different if he plied his trade at Anfield or Old Trafford.
"I think we have taken him for granted. This isn’t a slant on Manchester City supporters, it’s more about the brand Man City and the club and the history, but is it because he plays for Man City?" the former Liverpool midfielder told talkSPORT.
"Would we be talking about him more and putting him on a higher pedestal if he played for Liverpool or Man United?
“I think he’s been part of the Man City evolution where a lot of people have linked that to money. You are going to be a striker who scores goals if you are in a team who has all the best players, that flippant view.
“It doesn’t matter what team you are in or how good the players are, scoring goals is an art form. I think we have taken him for granted. Can we put him in the same breath as the likes of Henry or [Alan] Shearer?
“Henry and Shearer, probably two of the best examples, the two greatest strikers we’ve seen in the Premier League, I think, they had the ability to lift the team on their own. They were the talisman for their teams. They grabbed games by the scruff of the neck when no one else in the team was.
“I know Henry became embroiled in a wonderful Arsenal team but he was still their main man. Arsenal without Henry were never as good.
“Do opposing fans think Aguero is up there with the likes of those? Or am I right that we don’t give him the credit he’s deserved?”
Manchester City will temporarily move to within 11 points of Liverpool if they beat Crystal Palace on Saturday.
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