Kevin De Bruyne doubts Enzo Fernandez’s readiness as Man City successor

Former Manchester Metropolis midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has expressed scepticism over Enzo Fernandez being considered his successor within the membership’s midfield. In an interview with Nieuwsblad, De Bruyne acknowledged, “Manchester Metropolis followers calling Fernandez my successor? Actually, I feel that may be a little an excessive amount of.”

Fernandez lately signed a £125 million contract with Manchester Metropolis till 2031, following a tenure at Chelsea from 2023 to 2026, throughout which he gained the UEFA Convention League and the FIFA Membership World Cup in 2025. He started his profession in Argentina with Defensa y Justicia and River Plate, amassing 4 main trophies, earlier than taking part in for Benfica from 2022 to 2023 and profitable the Primeira Liga.

De Bruyne, who joined Manchester Metropolis from Wolfsburg for £54.5 million in 2015, made 288 appearances and scored 72 objectives over a decade, profitable a number of titles together with the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, and UEFA Champions League. He highlighted the hole between their ranges, including, “Enzo is an effective participant, I’m not saying he’s not. He has high quality, he has potential, and he can turn out to be an important midfielder. But when we’re being fully sincere, I don’t assume he’s wherever close to the extent I used to be taking part in at for Manchester Metropolis.”

Fernandez will inherit De Bruyne’s iconic quantity 17 shirt at Manchester Metropolis. Addressing the monetary scale of the switch, De Bruyne commented, “Generally I really feel individuals have overrated him due to the worth tag and what he has achieved with Argentina. £125 million doesn’t routinely make you a world-class midfielder. He nonetheless has so much to show. If he desires to be my successor, he has to point out it on the pitch first. Taking my No. 17 shirt is one factor… changing Kevin De Bruyne is one thing fully totally different.”