Pep Guardiola hailed Kevin De Bruyne after his return to the starting XI for Manchester City in their 3-1 win against Burnley.
The Belgian played a wonderful pass in behind the Clarets’ defence to set up Julian Alvarez’s second goal of the night in what seemed like a well-worked set-piece routine that came straight from the training ground.
But even apart from De Bruyne’s assist, his all-round display caught the eye on Wednesday night.
Pep Guardiola hails Kevin De Bruyne after Manchester City beat Burnley
The £400,000-a-week (Sport Rac) man’s passing was simply extraordinary on the night, as he constantly found the likes of Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez in behind the visitors’ defence by threading sumptuous through balls.
The 32-year-old showcased why his passing range arguably cannot be matched by a single player in world football as he created a whole host of chances, providing the pre-assist for Rodri’s strike as well.
After Manchester City got over the line against Burnley, Pep Guardiola praised Kevin De Bruyne during his post-match interview with TNT Sports (31/01/2024).
“Absolutely, [Kevin De Bruyne] was really, really, really, really, really, good, played 90 minutes. [He] Played 90 minutes from the beginning, 60 minutes and we saw him with an incredible good rhythm, yeah, really good.”
Kevin De Bruyne will only get better and better
Considering Kevin De Bruyne has been injured for five months, the fact that he was as sharp as he was for Pep Guardiola and Co. against Burnley should excite Manchester City fans across the world.
As De Bruyne gets more starts under his belt, week in, week out, his performances are likely to gradually improve.
After all, as brilliant as the £54 million (Independent) man was, it would be fair to claim that he was far from his unplayable best.
However, that will understandably come with time.
But the signs for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are positive as Kevin De Bruyne looked the part once again, despite starting his first Premier League game since his injury against Burnley in August.
