Manchester City fans hope that Kevin De Bruyne will not be out of action for too much longer.
The maestro has not featured for Manchester City for a few weeks now, after limping off against Inter in the club’s first Champions League game.
Pep Guardiola has managed fairly well without the Belgian. But City have certainly not been at their best in his absence.
To help fans get their fix of De Bruyne, City have posted a short montage of the star when he played against Stoke City in his early days at the club.
Everybody knows about De Bruyne’s passing range and vision, and those things were on show – and then some – at the Etihad Stadium against the Potters in 2017.
City ran out 7-2 winners that day, and De Bruyne put on a playmaking masterclass.
His performance featured one of his best-ever assists for City, when he somehow found Leroy Sane at the back post with a ground pass that split the Potters’ midfield and defence.
He played another defence-splitting ball to Sane who then crossed for Raheem Sterling to finish easily.
And he also put in an outstanding cross for striker Gabriel Jesus.
He did not get on the scoresheet himself that day. But it was truly an outstanding display from De Bruyne and fans have lapped up his iconic performance today on social media.
Man City fans react to Kevin De Bruyne’s iconic masterclass against Stoke
At the time, Pep Guardiola said that the 7-2 win over Stoke was the finest performance the team had produced since his arrival at the club.
De Bruyne was making his 100th appearance for the club, and Stoke simply could not get near him.
Speaking after the game, Guardiola said (via BBC Sport): “He is one of the best by far, he is someone who produced a lot of actions.”
Even Mark Hughes, the Stoke manager at the time, couldn’t help but praise the genius De Bruyne. He added: “His quality throughout was absolutely sensational to be perfectly honest – for me, he is the best player in the Premier League by a country mile.”
City fans were certainly loving the club’s post about De Bruyne as the got to reflect on such an amazing performance:
Man City fans have been spoilt by De Bruyne
De Bruyne has produced many playmaking masterclasses over the years in a City shirt, and fans have been well and truly treated.
There is little doubt at this point that De Bruyne is one of the greatest Premier League players of all-time.
Sadly, he is now coming to the end of his time at the club. There remains a lot of speculation about his future, with De Bruyne a target for Saudi Arabia in the last window.
| Kevin De Bruyne for Man City (all competitions) |
| Appearances – 388 |
| Goals – 103 |
| Assists – 171 |
| Trophies won – 16 |
He ended up staying, but as fans well know, he is out of contract next summer.
It is not out of the question he could extend his contract. De Bruyne said recently there haven’t been talks yet. But there is a feeling for many that he might decide to call time on his City career, given his fitness issues in recent times.
If this is to be De Bruyne’s final season, then fans will cherish every second he is on the ball just in case.
