Man City will miss two sides of Kevin De Bruyne – ‘impossible to replicate’

Kevin De Bruyne delivered a masterclass for Manchester City in their Premier League win over Crystal Palace.

“There’s no difference between me and Rico; he does his job like I do mine.”

Kevin De Bruyne was typically magnanimous after his star turn inspired Manchester City to a comeback Premier League victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday, playing down his role in the game and the team and namechecking the returning Rico Lewis.

Lewis himself wasn’t so sure with his outgoing teammate’s assessment. “I think players like him will only come about once every 10 years,” said the full-back, restored to the XI against Palace. “It’s impossible to replicate the stuff he does on the pitch, and not just that, but the person he is as a guy as well.”

While De Bruyne’s powers on the pitch have perhaps waned since the Treble season, he issued a stark reminder – not that anyone inside the Etihad would need it- of his obvious on-pitch talent. But it is behind the scenes where he will also prove difficult to replace.

He is captain and, in his own way, a leader. He’s not a ranter and raver but when he speaks people listen. He leads by example and his personality in the dressing room will be missed as much as his ability on the field.

“I don’t think he’s the most outspoken person out of everyone,” said Lewis of his skipper. “But I think he says stuff when he needs to. I think with Kev, you’ve seen today, his performances speak more than anything else. That’s a credit to him.

“I think the first goal he scored lifts us so much. That’s what kind of player he is, he helps the team and can lift the game on his own.

“With Kevin it’s such a big story and today he showed his quality, everyone will miss him when he’s gone. It’s going to be different without him”

But City will be without him in a matter of weeks. De Bruyne wants to play on, where that is remains to be seen with a switch to Saudi Arabia perhaps the most likely as things stand. His departure, and the likely summer exit of Kyle Walker, will see two vastly experienced players depart the Etihad.

But the new generation is coming through. Lewis was joined in the side on Saturday by fellow academy graduates James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly. Both scored. The January additions, led by Omar Marmoush – another goalscorer against Palace – were signings for the future as much as the present. City are transitioning, but the methods under Pep Guardiola will remain constant.

“Maybe in terms of players (we are transitioning),” said Lewis. “But I think the structure is always going to be the same, that doesn’t really change much and if you look over the last four or five years, there’s always been new players that come into the squad that help out.”

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