Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has lavished praise on one of his former teammates Raheem Sterling.
Ahead of his departure from the Etihad, De Bruyne was asked about the players he had most enjoyed working alongside, and he named the Arsenal loanee:
“One of them is probably Raheem. He was so, so good. What made Raz and me so complementary together, he was a willing runner, he runs deep. Every player that runs deep with me helps me out so much more, because he gave me options to play in the space and I think Raheem understood that with me; if I have the ball and he runs deep, I will try to get him the ball…”
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“There were three or four years where we were all playing together, Walks [Kyle Walker], me, and Raheem, and it just worked really well, that triangle…”
Sterling has struggled since leaving City
The England international left the Cityzens for Chelsea in a deal worth £47.5m in the summer of 2022 but he hasn’t been able to replicate the form he showed during his seven-year stint at the Etihad.
Sterling was loaned out to Arsenal last August but he has been a bit-part player for the Gunners, having started just six league games. He is set to return to Stamford Bridge this summer, with the expectation that he will then be sold to another team.
Walker is set to leave the Etihad alongside De Bruyne
As well as mentioning Sterling, De Bruyne also expressed his appreciation for Kyle Walker. The 34-year-old left City for AC Milan on a six-month loan deal back in January.
The Rossoneri do have the option to buy the fullback on a permanent basis but, even if the Serie A side don’t trigger their purchase clause, City are expected to offload him regardless.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here