A former scout at Chelsea has explained that Jose Mourinho was not willing to guarantee minutes to Kevin De Bruyne before the now-Manchester City star left Stamford Bridge.
Since arriving from Wolfsburg in 2015, De Bruyne has been a cut above the rest of the Premier League's midfielders. He has once again been in great form for the Blues this campaign, with Erling Haaland spearheading the attack ahead of him.
De Bruyne has already notched an incredible 13 assists for City in all competitions. However, his career could have looked very different had he stayed at Chelsea.
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During his time with Chelsea, the midfielder made just nine appearances for City's Premier League rivals and he was even loaned out to Werder Bremen. When he was eventually sold to Wolfsburg it took City little time to spot the potential he had and they snapped him up in 2015.
Now, looking back at De Bruyne's time with what was Mourinho's side, ex-Chelsea scout Piet de Visser has explained that he was left frustrated by the Portuguese coach's attitude towards De Bruyne. He told VoetbalNieuws : "I had a battle at Chelsea.
"I thought he (De Bruyne) was the best in the world at a young age. Chelsea had a top coach in Mourinho.
"He only called on experienced players. He thought De Bruyne was too young and said, 'We can't use yet'.
"He comes back (from the Werder Bremen loan) and Mourinho says, 'He's playing well, but I can't guarantee him a permanent place'. I stood there and I got furious with Mourinho.
"I said, 'He's your best man. Give him the chances. You don't always have to play him'."
In response to De Visser's plea, Mourinho apparently replied, 'I'm the boss'.
Thankfully for City, Mourinho's stubbornness got the better of him and the Blues are reaping the rewards. De Bruyne is currently out in Qatar for the World Cup with Belgium, who play their first match against Canada on Wednesday.
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