Guardiola hails De Bruyne as one of the Premier League's greatest

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hailed Kevin De Bruyne as one of the Premier League’s greatest midfielders after the Belgian announced on Friday that he would leave the club at the end of the season after a decade at the Etihad Stadium.

The 33-year-old De Bruyne has lifted 16 trophies since joining City from German side VfL Wolfsburg in 2015 — a haul that includes six Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2023.

De Bruyne has played 413 games for City, scoring 106 goals and providing 174 assists, including 118 in the Premier League — the second-most — behind Ryan Giggs (162).

"One of the greatest midfielders ever to have played in this country, and I think with Manchester City, there is no doubt," Guardiola told a news conference on Friday ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash at Manchester United.

"Greatest not The Greatest, always you have to be careful with players that played at Maine Road (City's former stadium), incredible players in the last 20-30 years in this club (too).

"But come on, there's no doubt he's one of the greatest for sure because of his consistency in important games, the not important games, being there every three days all the time. There is no doubt."

The Spaniard added that he had known about De Bruyne's departure a few days before it was announced, though Friday’s news still carried a bittersweet feeling.

"A sad day. A happy day for the fact that (I had) the pleasure personally (to) live with him. He gave all of us his humility and with his influence in our success in the last decade, that would have been impossible to imagine without him."

Asked whether De Bruyne deserved a statue at the stadium like other club greats, such as Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany, the coach said De Bruyne certainly deserved it. "I will bet a lot of money that it will happen," Guardiola said.

De Bruyne has made 20 league appearances this season after an injury in September and fitness struggles.

After a difficult campaign for City, they still have an FA Cup semi-final to come against Nottingham Forest on April 26, with the competition offering De Bruyne the chance to add more silverware to his trophy cabinet.

City will also play in the 32-team Club World Cup in the United States, which runs from June 14 to July 13.

Asked whether De Bruyne would feature in the Club World Cup, Guardiola said: "I don't know. He has to decide. The Club World Cup is new with contracts... The club has to talk to him or he has to say what he wants to do.

"The first three games are under contract until June 30, but after that, if we go through, I don't know... Hopefully he can continue playing football in another place - it depends on the risk for the contracts and the future."