Kevin De Bruyne has now revealed who his best friend at Manchester City is.
The Belgium international was answering some questions while appearing at Football Escapes.
So, what did Kevin De Bruyne say? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the Manchester City No.17 named Nathan Ake as his best friend at the Etihad Stadium.
When asked by a child who his favourite teammate is, De Bruyne said: “My best friend is Nathan. Nathan Ake. He’s Dutch, speaks the same language as me, so it’s pretty easy to get on.”
The 32-year-old has played with the Netherlands international for over three years now.
Manchester City signed Ake in a £41m deal from Bournemouth back in August 2020.
Since then, De Bruyne and the Dutchman have shared a pitch on 56 occasions, combining for just one goal as Manchester City won three Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, one FA Cup, one League Cup and also the UEFA Super Cup.
Manchester City need Kevin De Bruyne back
De Bruyne has not been able to play besides his best mate all season due to a hamstring injury, suffered in the 3-0 win over Burnley on the opening day of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
In the Belgian’s absence, Manchester City have lost successive Premier League games for the first time since December 2018 and sit third in England’s top-flight.
That is far from a disaster, but the longer De Bruyne is missing, the more likely Pep Guardiola’s side are to drop points.
Erling Haaland has also gone three games without a goal in the absence of the Belgian playmaker’s deliveries.
Therefore, Guardiola has a number of reasons for needing De Bruyne back, but at the age of 32, he simply cannot be rushed into action.
Hopefully, Ake gets his best friend back on the pitch with him soon, as Manchester City look to emulate last season’s historic treble.
