Tony Cascarino has said that Kevin De Bruyne is one of the three greatest Premier League players of all time.
The pundit sang De Bruyne’s praises on talkSPORT (07/01/2024) as he nears a return on the pitch after a lengthy hamstring injury at the start of the 2023/2024 season.
In December, Cascarino claimed that the £54 million (Guardian) man’s return from injury could further bolster City’s chances of defending their Premier League crown this season.
Tony Cascarino says Kevin De Bruyne is one of the three greatest players in Premier League history
Recently, even Kaka praised the treble-winner for how “intelligent” he is and noted his ability to be a step ahead of the rest.
According to Thierry Henry, the Belgian skipper is the best creator to have ever graced English shores as he also hailed him as an “outstanding player.”
Tony Cascarino firmly believes Kevin De Bruyne is one of the three greatest players in Premier League history.
“Well, as a fan of football and loving great players, and if you said to me name your top three Premier League players ever, Kevin De Bruyne would be one of them. Without a doubt”, he said on talkSPORT.
“He makes goals for fun, he just is such a creator. You can give him the ball anywhere on the pitch, he can play in advanced positions, he can pick the ball up deep, he’ll move the ball around on the pitch.”
Tony Cascarino went on to highlight just how special of a passer Kevin De Bruyne is, saying, “Everything about him has class. When you have a Kevin De Bruyne-type of pass, I remember talking about [Martin] Odegaard and a couple of passes he played, when you get associated with a type of pass because that’s what he does all the time.”
“Any forward, [Erling] Haaland’s season last year, his relationship with De Bruyne, you only have to watch the game, he just creates and [Sergio] Aguero would tell you the same thing.”
“He’s the guy who just creates and there’s a selfless way of playing that’s up there with the highest level. A great athlete as well, he’s a lot quicker than people think and once he opens his legs and gets away, he’s gone.”
“If he comes back and is even close [to his previous level], I wouldn’t say it’s a done deal but it certainly gives Pep Guardiola another string to his bow.”
The Belgian could cement his legacy as the greatest if he leads Manchester City to Premier League glory again
Manchester City currently sit in third place in the Premier League table, with table-toppers Liverpool having a five-point advantage over them, albeit having played an extra game.
While City’s position in the league table suggests they could still win the title, whether they could go all the way without their chief creator in place is a doubt.
But if Kevin De Bruyne does what he does best by leading Manchester City to yet another title, Tony Cascarino and many others may have to crown him as the Premier League’s undisputed greatest-ever player.
Winning four league titles is an unprecedented achievement in English football and if De Bruyne, coming off the back of a long-term injury and on the wrong side of 30 manages to emerge as the difference-maker for the Sky Blues once again, conversations about his status as the league’s potential best-ever player may need to be had.
One would certainly not put it past De Bruyne to spearhead his side to glory yet again.
