Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has claimed that Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne needs a "career-defining night" to overtake Manchester United legend Roy Keane as the Premier League's best-ever midfielder.
De Bruyne is widely recognised as one of, if not the best, midfielders to have played in the league. The Belgian playmaker has already provided nine assists in as many games during this campaign.
Pep Guardiola's side are yet to lose a match this season, and City will look to maintain their unbeaten run when they take on Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon. Jurgen Klopp's team have been a shadow of their former selves, having only won two games so far this season, with the Reds currently 11th in the table.
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De Bruyne will no doubt be integral to the final outcome against Liverpool, as the midfielder hopes to maintain his impressive start. Carragher is all too aware of the threat that the 31-year-old poses, and he picked the former Chelsea man in his all-time Premier League XI.
In his Telegraph column, Carragher said: "De Bruyne belongs alongside Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira, Yaya Touré, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes as the most celebrated Premier League midfielders, but he still needs to fill a gap in his CV to cement a position as the number one. The greatest players have either won the Champions League or dominated a World Cup.
"If I was to choose an all-time Premier League XI, De Bruyne and Gerrard would be in my midfield alongside Keane.
Where they differ is that Gerrard’s career is celebrated for iconic moments in Europe, none more so than the Champions League final in Istanbul. Keane’s blockbuster performance – the one for which he is most remembered – was for Manchester United in their famous win in Juventus in 1999.
"De Bruyne is still waiting for the same career-defining night in the biggest club competition. Once he has that, all bets are off about whether he tops the list."
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