Kevin De Bruyne is Manchester City's "greatest ever player" and is "in the conversation" with Thierry Henry for the best player in Premier League history, Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole.
The soon-to-be 34-year-old announced last Friday that he will be leaving Man City when his contract expires at the end of the season, bringing the curtain down on a glittering 10-year career at the Etihad Stadium.
De Bruyne has won 14 major trophies with the Citizens, including six Premier League titles and one Champions League, while the Belgian playmaker ranks second on the all-time PL assists charts (118), only behind Ryan Giggs (162).
Man City's No.17 has played an integral role in the club's success under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola, but he is now approaching the latter stages of his career and injuries have ultimately caught up on him, playing just 1,192 minutes in the top flight this season and only playing fewer in the 2018-19 campaign (974) when he also had several injury problems.
Guardiola has revealed that the decision not to renew De Bruyne's contract was made by the club's hierarchy and while the news comes as a "devastating" blow to McInerney, he believes that the decision to part ways is "justified" considering his fitness issues.
'Kevin De Bruyne is Man City's greatest ever player'
"It's devastating. He's probably my favourite ever footballer to be honest," McInerney told Sports Mole. "There are other different ones from different sides - the nostalgia attaches me to people like Shaun Wright-Phillips and [Georgi] Kinkladze from when I was a kid, but Kevin De Bruyne I think is Manchester City's greatest ever player.
"He's an intensely unique footballer with a skill set that is so hard to replicate... incredible vision, but it's such a freakish level of physical talent required to do it, because De Bruyne didn't just cross the ball well, it was bullet-like passes or shots with intense accuracy and precision and I think that requires you to be a physical beast really, and unfortunately I think there are signs that that's starting to disappear.
"I can't really remember the last time that he did something that felt out of the ordinary for Manchester City, sadly, and he felt like usually he'd do that every game even if he wasn't at his best.
"Still, I did want him to stay. I feel like his status in football, his leadership, his authority, just him being Kevin De Bruyne, there was still value of him being around the squad, especially if we're going to have a deeper squad next season... I felt, for me, De Bruyne staying around would be a very sensible option, but unfortunately that's not going to happen."
Is this the right time for Man City to let De Bruyne go?
For the first time since April 2018, De Bruyne failed to create a single chance across 90 minutes in a Premier League game in last weekend's dull goalless stalemate with rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.
"Annoyingly it felt symbolic [on Sunday] that he had such a poor game, and he did sadly after the announcement," said McInerney. "I don't think Pep, Txiki [Begiristain], [Ferran] Soriano and co would ever enjoy [De Bruyne's performance on Sunday], but they probably felt slightly justified.
"It's like: 'See we know what we're on about'. They'll be devastated that it happened, but it showed that maybe they're right (to let De Bruyne go). Two or three years ago, De Bruyne wins that game on his own, and I'm not just exaggerating there.
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"It felt like maybe they've made the right call here. You're going to have to be ruthless to start again [and] maybe you do need to let go of the biggest name in your squad and free up some wages and move on."
De Bruyne's announcement to depart Man City has led to an inevitable debate over where he and many other Premier League icons rank among the greatest to have graced the division since its inception back in 1992.
Is De Bruyne the greatest ever Premier League player?
The playmaker has been compared to fellow midfield greats including Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes, while some including Jamie Carragher believe that De Bruyne is in the conversation along with Arsenal icon Henry - regarded by many as the best ever Premier League player - for the greatest foreign player in the division's history.
Sharing his views on where De Bruyne ranks among the all-time Premier League greats, McInerney said: "I'm inherently biased, but at the same time I try not to be. I'm old enough to have watched Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard and I think at his very best Kevin De Bruyne had everything that they were all capable of.
"You think of Lampard, an absurd goalscorer and striker of the ball. De Bruyne had that as well, maybe not quite as frequently, but then he was much more creative than Frank Lampard ever was.
"You think about the vision of Paul Scholes. I think De Bruyne is a better passer. I think he's a better striker of the ball. Then you think of the powerful driving runs of someone like Steven Gerrard. De Bruyne had that. An underrated part of his game was how strong a ball carrier De Bruyne was.
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De Bruyne "in the conversation with Henry" for best ever PL player
"This is not in the era of the mid-2000s and earlier where the physicality of the Premier League hadn't caught up an awful lot. Gerrard was a physical phenomenon, but everyone is now. Everyone's got these players that can run. It's harder to do it now but still De Bruyne did it in this era, and he was a leader.
"He also did it against Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United in big games. De Bruyne did that. I truly think anything that those guys could do he could do, and he did it consistently. He was the best player in the best side for me. For me, he's up there in the conversation with Henry (for the best ever Premier League player).
"I know people won't accept that because it feels, as a City fan, that there is an inherent playing-down of anything City accomplished because of the money, the allegations and so on, but I think nostalgia sort of wins people's hearts.
"I don't think there's a single side in the history of the Premier League, or maybe even football to an extent, that doesn't get better without the brilliance of Kevin De Bruyne. I truly think he's a once-in-a-lifetime level footballer that time will be so kind to.
"Incredibly hard-working, no nonsense, no fuss, puts the side on his shoulders always, capable of things with either foot that I didn't think were possible. The best player for the best side in the league for 10 years.
"His legacy is going to be one of an all-timer and I think time will be very kind to him. Special footballer."
McInerney has also shared his thoughts on how Man City may go about replacing De Bruyne this summer, whether they should "splash the cash" on top target Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen or move for a cheaper alternative such as Lyon's Rayan Cherki or Villarreal's Alex Baena who he rates highly.
Press play on the video at the top of this article to hear the full discussion.
Oliver Thomas
