Chelsea legend fires Kevin De Bruyne warning to Manchester City and Pep Guardiola | OneFootball

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has given his honest verdict on Kevin De Bruyne’s importance to Manchester City and how the Belgian’s departure will impact Pep Guardiola’s squad.

De Bruyne will be leaving Manchester City at the end of the season after the club decided against handing the 33-year-old a new deal to keep him at the Etihad Stadium past June 30, when his current contract runs out.

The playmaker has hinted at discord between player and board stemming from personal disappointment over City’s reluctance to discuss a new contract, which De Bruyne feels has stemmed largely from a collective drop-off from the squad.

It remains to be seen what the coming months hold for the six-time Premier League winner, who has refused to rule out staying in England and joining one of Manchester City’s rivals when discussing his next destination, amid interest from the MLS and Saudi Pro League.

“Kevin (De Bruyne) has made the Premier League a much better league to watch. Because he’s just sheer talent. The vision he has, the way he plays the game, the awareness,” former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel said on the Obi One Podcast.

Obi Mikel was part of the Chelsea group led by Jose Mourinho that De Bruyne joined earlier in his career and despite never making the cut under the Portuguese coach at Stamford Bridge, the Belgian returned to England when he joined Manchester City in 2015 and the rest, as they say, is history.

“For him (De Bruyne) to come into the team that had Yaya Toure and Fernandinho and start performing the way he did straight away, just playing game after game, creating those assists and scoring goals is great,” Obi Mikel added.

“He (De Bruyne) has been fantastic for over a decade. He’s been a huge part of the success that City has had. This is the only player that you can say without him, City would struggle. Because he is that good.

“I’m not a (Manchester) City fan but it’s sad to see such a legend, such an absolutely fantastic player leaving the Premier League. Every time I watch City play, he’s always a joy to watch. The way he touches the ball, the way he passes the ball was also fantastic.

“I think he’s going to be mentioned among the top three best midfielders in Premier League history alongside Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, and Steven Gerrard. Kevin De Bruyne is in the conversation. I think he’s (amongst the) top two or three, for sure.

“I think he’s above one or two of those players. The trophies he’s won with (Manchester) City, he won the Premier League four times in a row with City, I don’t think that’s going to be repeated, maybe not in our lifetime. The (Premier) League is so difficult and everybody is struggling to get into the top four. It’s going to be very difficult to replace De Bruyne.”