Former Manchester City star Micah Richards believes that captain Kevin de Bruyne has been in equally good form as striker Erling Haaland this season.
Both players are absolutely crucial for the Citizens’ title ambitions. The fans find joy in watching De Bruyne deliver a stunning pass for Haaland to score.
But the Belgian midfielder hasn’t received as much credit as his counterpart this campaign. The men in blue have maintained their perfect start to the league campaign, with Haaland hammering nine goals in just four games. He has scored more than any other Premier League side.
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De Bruyne also played the whole 90 minutes in three out of four league games and boasts much better statistics. However, Richards believes that the 33-year-old’s efforts have gone under the radar and he is on par with the Norwegian ace.
After Manchester City’s draw vs Inter Milan, the player turned pundit talked about the midfield maestro on The Rest Is Football podcast. He said: “I think De Bruyne, I know a lot of people talk about Haaland and his goalscoring record at the start of the season, but I think De Bruyne has been in equally as good form, that we’ve seen at the start of the season.”
“So to lose him is obviously gutting, a little bit gutting, but you know, Foden’s return is a great positive.”
Richards is not alone in heaping praise on the No. 17, with Kevin Nolan recently placing De Bruyne right at the top alongside Steven Gerrard as the best midfielder to ever grace the Premier League.
With 113 assists to his name, he has built a legacy at the Etihad. This season, he has completed more key passes (16) than any other City player.
Plus, he has the second highest shots at goal (14) which is 3.53 per 90 minutes. Only Haaland has more (19). All of this while also scoring a goal and an assist for his team.
2024/25 Season Stats 📊
Shots/901⃣ Haaland – 5.01
2⃣ Semenyo – 5.00
3⃣ Madueke – 4.54
4⃣ Eze – 4.50
5⃣ Souček – 4.38
6⃣ Cunha – 4.16
7⃣ Muniz – 3.90
8⃣ Tavernier – 3.62
9⃣ De Bruyne – 3.53
🔟Diogo J. – 3.45Courtesy of (@FantasyFootyFix) https://t.co/1b4fU3a7PD
— Matt (@FPL_Obsessed) September 18, 2024
That’s how important the midfielder has been until now, and his recent injury scare will be a huge sign of concern for the club. He suffered a knock during a minor collision with Inter players Yann Sommer and Hakan Calhanoglu.
He was taken off the field, but he returned back to play for a few minutes in the first half before being substituted. Although Guardiola revealed later that De Bruyne could be involved against Arsenal, the medical team will be careful not pushing him too much.
We hope that he remains fit for the entire campaign and continues to guide the team towards their fifth successive Premier League silverware.
