Amorim hail 'greatest midfielder' De Bruyne following Man City departure

New Delhi, April 4 (IANS) Following Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne’s announcement that he will be leaving the club at the end of the current season. Mikel Arteta, who worked closely with the Belgian maestro during his time as assistant coach with the Cityzens, ranks De Bruyne as one of the best players in the Premier League.

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim joked about the 33-year-old having played on the wrong side of Manchester but admitted KDB has improved the English top division during his decade long tenure.

"I don't know if he's the one, the two or the three, but for me, he's one of the best players in the history of the Premier League, without a question about that. I've never seen, I've never played with a player that can execute that precisely at high speed. He can be running at 33, 34 kilometres an hour and play the ball 30 metres through two people to the perfect spot. I haven't seen anybody else do that at that pace," said Arteta in the press conference.

"That is easy, he was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. The time passes to everyone so it is a natural thing. He improved the league. He was on the wrong side of Manchester so I wish him good luck. It was a pleasure to see him in Portugal a lot of times," he added.

The Belgian has played 413 matches for City. During that period, he has scored 106 times, making him the first City midfielder since Colin Bell to reach a century of goals.

The 33-year-old has won a remarkable 19 major honours with City, including six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, one UEFA Champions League, one FIFA Club World Cup, one UEFA Super Cup and three Community Shields.

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank admitted he was a ‘little shocked’ to hear the announcement and labelled De Bruyne as a ‘complete player.’

"A little bit shocked is probably the right way to say it. I can only praise him. He is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League ever. There are a few good ones, eh? But from the more central, offensive players like Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard - iconic England ones - I think De Bruyne is up there.

"I think he is a top player, almost a complete player in many ways and I think he has been crucial for Man City's success in the last years," said Frank.

--IANS

aaa/