John Obi Mikel has said that Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne ‘wasn’t the best trainer’ during his time at Chelsea.
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, the retired midfielder has given an insight into training and playing alongside the £54 million (Guardian) man.
John Obi Mikel believes Kevin De Bruyne simply was not at the level to make enough of an impression at Chelsea.
John Obi Mikel says Kevin De Bruyne was a poor trainer at Chelsea
Branded as ‘clever’ by Thierry Henry, the Belgian playmaker has managed to make the Blues look silly since their decision to sell him in 2014.
With an enviable trophy cabinet to his name as well as a glittering career, De Bruyne is widely hailed as the best Premier League midfielder of all time.
However, John Obi Mikel still feels that during his time at Chelsea, a facet that held Kevin De Bruyne back was his lack of effort in training.
“I think if you [John Terry] can agree with me, I think Kevin De Bruyne wasn’t the best trainer back then. He wasn’t the best trainer. He was somebody that, he comes to training, probably because he wasn’t playing much, he was always head down, he was always angry, he was like a kid who came to the playground and nobody wants to play with him”, he said.
John Obi Mikel has said that this trait led to Samuel Eto’o and Kevin De Bruyne having a heated row.
“And I remember, we remember when Samuel Eto’o had a go at him and they had a massive fight on the training ground just because he wasn’t putting in the effort Samuel Eto’o wanted. And they had a massive row on the pitch.”
Kevin De Bruyne has made Chelsea look silly
Even if John Obi Mikel may be right, at the end of the day, Kevin De Bruyne has proven Chelsea completely and utterly incorrect in their judgment.
The midfield maestro produced one of the greatest Bundesliga seasons in history after he joined VFL Wolfsburg and since signing for Manchester City, he has cemented his reputation as one of the best players of his generation.
Kevin De Bruyne has well and truly had the last laugh.
