6 young prospects from Genk shining bright across Europe

#1 Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)

Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne is in the world class bracket by taking his game to another level under the guidance of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, and would easily sneak into the top three attacking midfielders in the world at the moment.

De Bruyne rose through the ranks of Gent, and played four years of senior football at the Belgian club. During the summer of 2012, English side Chelsea came calling for De Bruyne when he was aged just 20. To gain more top-flight football experience, the Belgian moved to Werder Bremen. His loan stint was successful, where he scored 10 goals from just 33 games.

His noteworthy performances caught the eyes of former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who promised him game time at Stamford Bridge. But, injury and restlessness from Mourinho played a part in his permanent move to Wolfsburg. He caught the eyes of several scouts while representing the German club. Manchester City made a bid in a region of £55 million to seal the signature of the Belgian during the summer of 2015.

Kevin De Bruyne has been instrumental in Manchester City's success since joining the club. He has scored 35 goals in his 142 appearances in the process.

Notable mentions:

Divock Origi and Christian Benteke

Having established themselves as one of the finest players in their respective leagues, Genk have also produced players including Christian Benteke, Divock Origi, Wilfred Ndidi and Steven Defour.