Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon says only David De Gea and Manuel Neuer can be considered a class above Joe Hart.

New Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has benched Hart for his first two competitive games in charge and, with the club reportedly closing in on Barcelona's Claudio Bravo, a source has told ESPN FC that the England No. 1 is considering his future.

Juventus legend Buffon, though, says Hart is one of the world's best and that Manchester United's De Gea and Bayern Munich's Neuer are the only clearly superior keepers at present.

The 38-year-old told Goal: "He has consistently, over the last five or six seasons, shown he is among the best goalkeepers in the world. De Gea and Neuer are the two outstanding goalkeepers right now. After that, there is not anybody who is on an obvious higher level than Hart.

"He has many years of being a great goalkeeper ahead of him, no matter if they are at Manchester City or anywhere else."

Gianluigi Buffon says Joe Hart is among the world's top goalkeepers. Claudio Villa/Getty Images

Buffon highlighted the fact that Hart had lost his Manchester City place in 2013-14 when Manuel Pellegrini was in charge and backed the 29-year-old to bounce back again.

"When he returned, he played some of the best football of his career," Buffon said. "The ability is there. We know he has that but, just as importantly, he has character -- and that is one of the most important qualities you can have as a goalkeeper."