Kevin De Bruyne reminded observers why he remains a world-class player during Manchester City’s 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest.
De Bruyne showed no signs of rustiness as he slotted straight back into City’s starting XI, assisting and scoring in his side’s latest victory.
Pep Guardiola sang De Bruyne’s praises as well while also lauding how much he helped the Sky Blues defensively.
The standing ovation for De Bruyne was merited, as per Jen Beattie, after he was eventually taken off for Rico Lewis in the 74th minute.
De Bruyne’s reaction to the win involved thanking the home supporters for heading out to watch the team on a “rainy midweek day” and summed up the victory as a “good result.”
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Kevin de Bruyne of Manchester City and Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Mancheste...
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What Kevin De Bruyne did could leave Bruno Fernandes red-faced
The 33-year-old’s initial assist for Bernardo Silva’s was a rare one in his enviable catalogue as the midfield maestro headed it in the former’s path.
The former VFL Wolfsburg playmaker’s goal was one he would be expected to score from inside the box but the way he strikes the ball is truly one of a kind.
According to Stat Muse, De Bruyne has equalled Bruno Fernandes’ goal tally of two in the Premier League, despite the former starting just five games over the latter’s 14 this season.
The Manchester City vice-captain also has two assists in the league this campaign while the Manchester United captain has five to his name.
Considering the latter is known for his goalscoring exploits, such a statistic could leave him red-faced.
In February, Chris Sutton claimed De Bruyne is better than Fernandes as well as Rodri, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva.
Previously, De Bruyne has hailed Fernandes and described him as a “creative machine.”
Fernandes named De Bruyne as toughest Premier League midfielder
The Portuguese international was quizzed about which midfielder he reckons has been the toughest for him to go toe-to-toe against in the Premier League.
The 30-year-old wrote: “Kevin De Bruyne” during a Q&A session on X.
There seems to be a mutual respect between De Bruyne and Fernandes.
However, the consensus would be that the six-time Premier League winner remains the superior player.
The pair would often be compared when Fernandes first joined Manchester United and ran riot.
But since then, while the former Sporting CP midfielder’s game has ebbed and flowed, De Bruyne has remained remarkably consistent.
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