Kevin De Bruyne has reflected on his time in the Premier League before leaving Man City, naming a surprise Liverpool player as his “most difficult” opponent.
De Bruyne will depart Man City after their final game of the season on Sunday and, according to the Telegraph‘s Mike McGrath, will not be staying in the Premier League.
That would rule out an unlikely free transfer to Liverpool after Mohamed Salah jokingly said: “We have a space for him!”
It means one of the Premier League‘s best-ever midfielders is expected to ply his trade in either Serie A or MLS next season, with Napoli and Chicago Fire considered the front-runners for his signature.
And speaking to Sky Sports ahead of his exit, De Bruyne was asked who his toughest opponents have been throughout 10 years in the English top flight.
“Fabinho was really strong in his time with Henderson and Milner, because they covered so much space and they were so aggressive,” he said, having also named N’Golo Kante alongside Fabinho.
“I would say probably these two stood out, they were probably the most difficult in the way that they played. And also because they’re different.
“Kante is small but he covers so much space and he’s a bit tricky.
“If people are defensive midfielders they’re more bulky, they’re slower, but Kante has speed, has agility, so he’s a very different player to play against.”
De Bruyne’s praise sheds a light on a player whose importance to Liverpool has already been forgotten by some, with Fabinho‘s late-career decline and swift exit to Saudi Arabia perhaps clouding the impact he had at Anfield.
The Brazilian transformed Jurgen Klopp‘s midfield as a one-man barrier between midfield and defence, earning his nickname of ‘The Lighthouse’.
As De Bruyne says of Kante, Fabinho certainly didn’t fit the slow, bulky mould of defensive midfielder either, with his tall, nimble frame belying the bite he offered in the tackle.
Fabinho is now at Al-Ittihad, having joined the Saudi side in 2023 in a deal worth £40 million – almost recouping the entire £43.7 million fee Liverpool agreed with Monaco five years previous.
He noticeably tired in his final campaign at Liverpool, but has enjoyed an upturn in fortunes since switching to a considerably less intense Saudi Pro League and was central to their title triumph this season.
Still only 31, Fabinho‘s contribution to seven trophies between 2018 and 2022 cannot be undervalued – as De Bruyne says, he was one of the Reds’ best players.
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