Manchester City have a massive job on their hands this summer – replacing Kevin De Bruyne.
De Bruyne is leaving Manchester City at the end of the season, and, as you can imagine, fans are devastated.
There have been some theories that De Bruyne could stay at Man City, but, the Belgian’s current plan is to leave.
So, how do City replace De Bruyne?
Florian Wirtz has been linked to City, but according to Don Hutchison, speaking on The Weekend Wrap, Omar Marmoush could potentially play a part in replacing De Bruyne next season.
Omar Marmoush could replace Kevin De Bruyne
Hutchison was discussing City’s options for replacing De Bruyne and how difficult this could be.
The pundit noted that Wirtz could be an option for City, but he also suggested that Omar Marmoush could drop back and play in the De Bruyne role.
“That’s why, the numbers there show you why he would be impossible to replace. Florian Wirtz is a brilliant young player, fantastic talent, but he’s not Kevin De Bruyne, not yet anyway. If you rank De Bruyne amongst the greatest Premier League players he’s in that conversation,” Hutchison said.
“Someone like Wirtz could be the number 10, but then Marmoush could drop back a little bit and play the Kevin role, with the industry and positioning he picks up.”
Omar Marmoush stats in different positions
It’s interesting to hear Marmoush suggested as a De Bruyne replacement, because he has played in a number of different positions.
Of course, the £59m man is, primarily a centre-forward, but with Erling Haaland City’s de facto number one choice, it’s not going to be easy for the Egyptian to get minutes in that role.
Marmoush has played in similar positions to De Bruyne – attacking midfield, second striker, right wing, but his record in those roles aren’t amazing.
| Omar Marmoush’s different positions | Games | Goals | Assists |
| Centre-forward | 142 | 57 | 24 |
| Second striker | 16 | 6 | 4 |
| Left wing | 27 | 9 | 4 |
| Right wing | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Attacking midfield | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Marmoush does have a great return as a second striker, but he’s rarely contributed much when he’s played on the right wing.
The sample size of Marmoush playing as an attacking midfielder isn’t necessarily big enough to make much of a judgment either.
Marmoush has earned a lot of praise since signing for City, so he does have the talent, but whether or not he can fill the sizeable hole that De Bruyne will leave behind is very much up for debate.
