Kevin De Bruyne Picks Bruno Fernandes As Best Creative Midfielder Ahead of Odegaard

• Kevin De Bruyne has ranked his favourite midfielders in the English Premier League
• The Manchester City playmaker was asked to choose from a group of Bruno Fernandes, James Maddison and Martin Odegaard
• The Belgian is unlikely to register high playmaking statistics this season after picking up an injury

Kevin De Bruyne has been ruled out of competitive action for the foreseeable future after aggravating a hamstring injury on the opening day of the Premier League.

The new Manchester City captain limped off in their game against Vincent Kompany's Burnley and is expected to be out for at least three months.

The Belgian who has been the division's best playmaker in recent seasons, a mantle another player will have to pick up now, given the nature of his injury.

De Bruyne was put to task to reveal who else he thought was the best playmaker in the Premier League and he surprisingly chose Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes.

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" I think he's a creative machine. I think he's always there. He has been doing it for a long time. He takes a lot of risks also, and I like it. Obviously, he's been doing so well," he said in an interview with Sky Sports.

The Portuguese international has been one of United's most consistent players and was recently awarded with the captaincy by manager Erik ten Hag.

De Bruyne was supposed to pick his favourite from a bunch of three players, which also included Arsenal's Martin Odegaard and Tottenham's new boy James Maddison. He ranked the Arsenal skipper in second place while calling for more time to see Maddison in a big club before passing the verdict.

De Bruyne's Ballon d'Or favourites

Sports Brief has also reported that De Bruyne has weighed in on who among the current crop of young footballers is most likely to win the Ballon d'Or first.

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This comes at a time when Manchester City players are expected to dominate the 2023 conversation after a record-setting year that saw them win the treble.

He picked Haaland to win the Ballon d'Or first after being presented with three choices - his club teammate, Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and Mbappe. Haaland has a good chance of winning his first this season.