‘De Bruyne is one of the best the Premier League has ever seen’ – Richards lauds Man City’s ‘complete footballer’

Kevin De Bruyne is “one of the best midfielders we’ve ever seen in the Premier League” says Micah Richards, with the Manchester City talisman considered to be “a complete footballer”.

Those qualities were showcased again in the Citizens’ last outing, as they swept aside Chelsea with the minimum of fuss at Stamford Bridge.

De Bruyne made one and scored another for Pep Guardiola’s side as they downed their fellow title hopefuls 3-1 to pile more pressure on Frank Lampard.

De Bruyne is now looking to push City back into title contention this season having claimed the PFA Player of the Year award in 2019-20, and Richards says he is destined to secure a place in history as an all-time great.

The former Citizens defender told Sky Sports: “I've talked about De Bruyne for so long, he's just incredible to watch. He says he's played there before. He's just a complete footballer. 

“He can do both attacking and defensive work. It takes some beating to be better than him, it's just absolutely incredible. I think he's consistent. 

“He's so passionate and he wants to show the world what he can do because he's an absolute gem of a player. He's one of the best midfielders we've ever seen in the Premier League.”

While De Bruyne continues to set the standard for City, Guardiola has plenty of other superstar performers at his disposal.

Phil Foden has taken an elite standing at just 20 years of age, with Richards expecting big things from an academy graduate who has shown that he deserves regular starts.

Richards said after seeing the England international find the target against Chelsea: “I just want to see Foden play every single week. He's played like this before and has been left out of the team. Every time he plays he does affect the game.

“He gives so much more to the team than just goals and assists - his energy, his work rate, his desire, he's got absolutely everything.

“I've been saying this for years. I'm not comparing him to David Silva. He's an incredible talent but he deserves to be playing every single game.”