Kevin De Bruyne will be sorely missed by Manchester City fans and he has also been an idol for many of his teammates
Matheus Nunes says Manchester City are going to have a huge hole in their squad next season without the player he grew up watching on YouTube.
Nunes, 26, is only seven years younger than the departing Kevin De Bruyne but idolised the Belgian as he was looking to make his way in the game.
De Bruyne has been wowing English football since 2015, when he joined in a £54m move from Wolfsburg. The fee was seen as excessive at the time, only for De Bruyne to prove all the critics wrong with exceptional skills on an exceptionally consistent basis to become one of the best players ever seen in the Premier League.
Injuries have curtailed his abilities over the last two seasons, and while he came back last term to help City win a fourth consecutive Premier League, he has struggled to stay fit and prove he can contribute to the future of a squad that has been criticised for having too many tired legs this season.
De Bruyne shelved talks over his future earlier in the campaign despite his contract running out this summer as he wanted to wait until he was in better form, but the club have now decided that they will move him on.
City fans will be sad to see one of the club’s greatest ever players leave, and those that have been fortunate enough to be on the pitch with him are also feeling what is expected to be a painful loss.
Nunes joined from Wolves in 2023 and has had two years in the same squad as De Bruyne.
“Of course, he’s going to be a massive loss. He’s my favourite player – I used to watch all of his YouTube videos!” he said.
“He’s a special player and a special person. He deserves all the praise because he’s the best midfielder to have played in the Premier League.
“The legacy speaks for itself. He’s a legend of the club.”
Fellow midfielder Mateo Kovacic echoed those thoughts, having come up against him as an opponent for Real Madrid and Chelsea before arriving at the Etihad in the same summer as Nunes.
The Croatian wants the rest of City’s squad to be able to give De Bruyne a fitting farewell as they find themselves in an unusual position.
Sunday’s draw with United takes the race for a top-four finish out of their control with just seven games to go, although they can still achieve that and also have the FA Cup to play for.
“What can I say? He’s an unbelievable player for this club and for the Premier League.,” said Kovacic. “An unbelievable talent and an amazing player.
“He’s a special guy as well – he’s got a great personality, and we will miss him a lot. We have to focus on finishing the season in a good way and giving Kevin a farewell he deserves.”