“He will be remembered forever” – Pep Guardiola offers glowing assessment of Manchester City midfielder following Liverpool masterclass

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has offered a glowing assessment of his central midfield star Kevin De Bruyne, after the Belgium international provided yet another star performance during a 3-2 win over Liverpool.

The reigning Premier League champions reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Thursday night via the win over Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The victory was the first competitive match since the completion of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and despite both sides missing a number of players due to their staggered returns from time off, the clash at the Etihad Stadium brought a remarkable contest on the pitch.

Goals from Erling Haaland, Riyad Mahrez, and Nathan Ake ultimately secured the win for Manchester City, despite Fabia Carvalho and Mohamed Salah drawing Liverpool level on two occassions.

However, despite the Merseyside club’s best efforts, it was largely the performance of Kevin De Bruyne that set the two clubs apart on the night, as the 31 year-old provided two assists across the 90 minutes in an exemplary all-round performance.

Speaking to the media after the 3-2 win against Liverpool on Thursday night, Pep Guardiola said of the Belgian midfielder, “What can I say?”

“Eight years (at Manchester City), he’s done everything for this club, he’s an absolute legend.”

Guardiola continued, “He will be remembered forever, one of the greatest, greatest, greatest players of all time of this club.”

Manchester City and Kevin De Bruyne will now have a few days to both recover and enjoy the Christmas period with their family and friends, before returning to Premier League action on December 28.

The Premier League champions travel to Elland Road in the traditional Boxing Day scheduling of top-flight fixtures, with the tough task of an away trip against Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United side on the cards.