Sergio Aguero is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the Barclays Premier League. He has consistently shown his scoring prowess in the past few seasons. He scored one of the most important goals in Man City’s recent history when his winning strike won them the 2012/13 title, the first in 44 years. On certain occasions, Aguero has carried the team and delivered much needed goals when it mattered most. However, his performances this season have been plagued by injuries including one that kept him out for a month.
While Man City seems to struggle without their talisman, there is another player who seems more important to the team than Aguero and it’s NOT Yaya Toure. It’s Kevin De Bruyne. Kevin De Bruyne joined The Citizens at the beginning of the season for a club record fee of £55 million. He joined from Wolfsburg where he had a stellar season in the 2014/15 Bundesliga season.
Similar to Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne’s season has been plagued by an injury that kept him out for a long period of time. During this period, Man City failed to cope up with the league leaders and are currently struggling to finish in the top four. In light of recent performances, City have seemingly struggled more in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne than Sergio Aguero.
So who’s Man City’s real talisman? It’s Kevin De Bruyne. He is a versatile player who can play as a No. 10 or out wide. According to John Cross, a columnist at Mirror Online, De Bruyne’s return to fitness has given the team the X-factor that has revitalized a fading, ageing team. Since his return, Man City has won crucial league games that has put them on track for a top four finish and progressed into the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time. Without a doubt, De Bruyne has made all the difference and showed his quality and class by scoring against Paris Saint-Germain in both legs of the Champions League quarter finals.
Man City’s recent change of fortunes has been down to one man… Kevin De Bruyne. He has produced quality and moments of magic that are giving Manuel Pellegrini something to smile about. If Man City will finish in a better position in the league and progress further in the UEFA Champions League, it will be down to the fitness and performances of Kevin De Bruyne, the team’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).
