De Bruyne a key addition for City – Fernandinho

Fernandinho believes Kevin De Bruyne has been a key addition for Manchester City this season.

Belgium international De Bruyne signed from Wolfsburg in a club-record move reportedly worth £55million in August and has managed to make an instant impact, despite a campaign interrupted by a serious knee injury.

The attacking midfielder clinched City a place in the Champions League semi-finals with the only goal against Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday, securing a 3-2 aggregate victory.

Speaking ahead of the quarter-final encounter in Manchester, Fernandinho lauded the impact De Bruyne has had since his arrival.

He told Omnisport: “De Bruyne came very well this season, his first season here. I think he was one of the key players that City signed, for his dynamic game, the way he plays with goals, assists, and he is a player who also helps marking.

“He has a really cool dynamic on the field. He is a player who doesn’t hold the ball too, he plays easy, he plays fast, finishes well and comes very well in the area.

“And outside the pitch, he is a sensational and spectacular person. I love to joke with him because, as he has lived with many Brazilians before, he speaks many words in Portuguese.”

The fans were criticised for providing a lack of vocal support during the victory over PSG, with BT Sport pundit and former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand claiming “they didn’t start singing until the 76th minute”, when De Bruyne broke the deadlock.

However, Fernandinho enjoys the support from the City faithful and believes they regularly show gratitude to the players.

“It is very nice to see the affection of the fans to the players, it’s respect that comes from since the players were arrived here and the club was still growing, creating their style of play, their philosophy, and today you can see the gratefulness of the fans and this is really cool,” he said.

“The fans of Manchester City [do] not live the moment, they know what the player did in the past, what he is doing in the present and what they can do in the future.”