Shaun Wright-Phillips Praises Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland’s Amazing Performances for Manchester City

By Shaurya Dutt

New Delhi, India, September 23: Manchester City legend Shaun Wright-Phillips has praised midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, saying he has ‘Satan in his foot’. De Bruyne played a crucial role in Manchester City’s Premier League win in the 2023-24 season, despite being injured for the first half. He scored four goals and made 10 assists in 18 matches.

Speaking at a Premier League match-screening event in Dwarka, Wright-Phillips called De Bruyne one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history. He said, ‘Kevin De Bruyne, he’s Kevin De Bruyne. It’s like he’s got Satan in his foot. He knows for an attacking player, he’s the perfect player to have behind you. He is probably one of the greatest midfielders that have played in the Premier League. There are a lot of people who will hold their hands up and say they can kind of agree. And if not, probably in the world.’

De Bruyne, a Belgium international, joined Manchester City in August 2015 from German club Wolfsburg. The 33-year-old scored his 100th goal for the team in April against Crystal Palace. He has provided many assists in his career, including 19 for Erling Haaland in the last two seasons. De Bruyne is also the quickest player to reach 100 Premier League assists, achieving this in 237 matches.

Wright-Phillips also spoke about City striker Erling Haaland, saying the Norwegian could break Lionel Messi’s record of 91 goals in a season. He said, ‘We’ve seen what Haaland is capable of over the last two years. He’s nearly reached 100 goals within a season and a little bit so for me in general as long as the chances are there and he’s on firing form right now. I don’t see why he can’t but like I said, I don’t think he’s necessarily concentrating on breaking the rules. He’s just more focused on scoring goals.’

Haaland had an incredible season after joining the Premier League from the Bundesliga in 2022. The 24-year-old won the ‘Gerd Muller Trophy’ for the Best Striker of the Year. He secured a treble of Championship titles with Manchester City in the 2022-23 season, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League. Haaland scored 56 goals in his debut season with City, breaking the record for most goals by a Premier League player across all competitions in a season. Last season, he scored 27 goals in 31 Premier League appearances and made five assists. His treble triumph was followed by a league title and a League Cup double in the 2023-24 season.