Pundit says £54m Man City star is one of the three greatest players in Premier League history

Pundit says £54m Man City star is one of the three greatest players in Premier League history

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.

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“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.
Kevin De Bruyne marked his return from a five-month injury spell as Manchester City thrash Huddersfield 5-0 in the FA Cup.

The Belgian playmaker who underwent hamstring surgery, made a 35-minute appearance and played a role in two goals.

Despite a slow start, Phil Foden was brilliant in the central role usually occupied by De Bruyne, scoring twice to lead City’s dominant performance.

Huddersfield who are struggling in the Championship relegation zone, faced a daunting task to protect their post from the start.

Manchester City thump Huddersfield 5-0 in FA Cup – Getty image
City’s boss Pep Guardiola made several changes to his lineup, resting key players like Ederson, Kyle Walker, and Rodri, yet securing a commanding victory.

The introduction of De Bruyne in the second half affected City’s play almost immediately.

Although he didn’t get on the scoresheet himself, but his presence sparked City’s attack the more, leading to further goals from Mateo Kovacic and substitute Jeremy Doku, who also made his comeback from injury.

City double lead; Bamford stunner; Forest level

If Friday and Saturday were the entree, Sunday is the main course, with FA Cup holders Manchester City in action and a mouth-watering clash between Arsenal and Liverpool later.

You can follow all the action right here.

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Manchester City v Huddersfield
Scorers: Foden 32′, Alvarez 37′

Holders Manchester City were looking to get their FA Cup defence off to the best possible start against Championship strugglers Huddersfield.

Pep Guardiola’s side were in complete control early on with Jack Grealish looking dangerous down the left-hand side but there was a big blow for the hosts as Manuel Akanji came off injured on 15 minutes.

Eventually City’s class showed as Phil Foden buried an effort from a tight angle after good work by Julian Alvarez.

West Ham v Bristol City
Scorers: Bowen 4′

In form West Ham hosted Liam Manning’s improving Bristol City with a place in the fourth round on the line.

It took the Hammers just four minutes to take the lead as Jarrod Bowen raced in, rounded the goalkeeper, and finished well.

Peterborough v Leeds
Scorers: Ampadu 37, Bamford 47′

Peterborough were the form side in League One coming into this clash with Leeds claiming just two wins from their last five games.

Patrick Bamford was at the heart of everything Leeds were doing well early on but saw two good efforts saved before the 10 minute mark.

The Championship side eventually did get their opener just before half time as Bamford played in Ethan Ampadu who finished with aplomb.

Into the second half and immediately Bamford netted the second of the game with a stunning volleyed effort from 25 yards.

Nottingham Forest v Blackpool

Scorers: Dominguez 39′ Gibbs-White 56′; Gabriel 25′, Morgan 27′

Nuno Espirito Santo was aiming to maintain his impressive start to life as Nottingham Forest boss as League One Blackpool came to the City Ground.

But a potential upset was on the cards after 25 minutes as Jordan Gabriel headed home after good work by Karamoko Dembele.

Blackpool then doubled their advantage just a few moments later as Albie Morgan found space inside the area and smashed home an effort.

Forest halved their deficit just before the break however as Nico Dominguez netted with his second goal in as many games.

Into the second half and Forest got themselves level on 56 minutes as Morgan Gibbs-White finished well from the edge of the area.

Other games
Shrewsbury v Wrexham
Luton v Bolton
West Brom v Aldershot
Game to come
Arsenal v Liverpool
Monday sees the fourth round draw followed by Wigan’s clash with Manchester United.