Former Barcelona star Ronaldinho has backed Neymar to succeed in England if he were to leave the Catalan giants for a move to the Premier League.

Neymar's father revealed earlier this season that Manchester United had made an attempt to sign the Brazil international, while Chelsea and Manchester City have also been linked with signing the 23-year-old in the past.

Ronaldinho does not expect his compatriot to leave Barcelona any time soon, but has little doubt he would be an instant hit if he were to move to England.

"He could and would succeed in any league in the world. Of course, there are always transition periods. But when you have that much ability you will succeed in any league in any country," Ronaldinho told the Daily Mirror.

"England is not an easy league to succeed in, but yes of course he would be a success there. Neymar, currently on form, is the best player in the world.

"His rise has not surprised me at all. Even when he was a kid his ability was obvious. At the age he is, I still have every belief he can go on to get better and better. Now he has reached the level of the best in the world, he can stay there for five or six years, comfortably.

"I can't see why Barcelona would want to allow him to leave, but if he was to, I'm sure that it would have to be for a record fee."

Neymar has a contract with Barcelona until June 2018.