Grealish, who can also operate as a winger, has described De Bruyne as “unbelievable”, and has said that he does base a bit of his game on the Belgium international’s playing style.
The 24-year-old has further stated that the 28-year-old former Chelsea midfielder is the best player in the Premier League, adding that he is up there with Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus.
Grealish told Sky Sports: “De Bruyne! I just love him. I think he’s unbelievable, and I probably try to base my game on him a little bit, especially when I play at No 8.
“I think De Bruyne has absolutely everything. He has that much stuff, he doesn’t get enough credit. He’s probably the best player in the Premier League, and is up there with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe at the moment.”
Manchester City Spell
De Bruyne has been on the books of City since the summer of 2015 when he joined from German club Wolfsburg for a transfer fee of 55 million pounds.
The Belgian had struggled to make a huge impact at Chelsea and could not establish himself in the first team, but he starred in the Bundesliga for Wolfsburg and earned the big move to the Citizens in 2015.
De Bruyne has taken his game to another level at City, especially under manager Pep Guardiola, and is widely rated as one of the best midfielders in the world.
During his time at the Etihad Stadium so far, the 28-year-old has won the Premier League title twice, the FA Cup once, and the EFL Cup as many as four times.
So far this season, the Belgian has made 25 starts and one substitute appearance in the Premier League for City, scoring eight goals and providing 16 assists in the process.