"He’s almost in that De Bruyne mould" - Pundit claims Liverpool star is similar to Manchester City star

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has hailed Liverpool attacker Roberto Firmino and compared him to Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne.

Both Firmino and De Bruyne joined Liverpool and Manchester City back in 2015 and have been impressive for their respective clubs.

De Bruyne has established himself as one of the best midfielders in world football and has been integral to the Cityzens' dominance in English football. Firmino, on the other hand, has become a key player for the Merseyside club in a false nine role thanks to his unique skillset.

According to Football Insider, the Reds are ready to open contract talks with Firmino during the upcoming mid-season break due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Whelan has claimed that he is not surprised to see the Reds looking to tie the Brazilian down with a new deal. The former Middlesbrough attacker has compared Firmino to Manchester City midfielder De Bruyne due to his intelligence on and off the ball.

He told Football Insider:

“Whether he’s going to be first choice or not, you’ve just got to look at the impact he’s still having at Liverpool."

He’s still one of the most intelligent players they have. He’s almost in that De Bruyne mould because he’s someone who makes the right decisions on and off the ball."

Whelan has claimed that Firmino still has a big role for the Merseysiders even after Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota recover from their injury setbacks.

He has also backed the Brazilian to stay at Anfield if he is offered a good deal. He added:

“It doesn’t surprise me to see him offered a new deal. Whether Jota and Diaz come back in ahead of him or not, he’s been one of the standouts this season.

“I’m sure he’d love to stay at Liverpool if the terms are right, and I’m sure Klopp would love to keep him.”

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Liverpool defender has hailed Manchester City star and admitted that he would love to play with him

Virgil van Dijk has admitted that he would love to play alongside Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne. Van Dijk told Gary Neville on The Overlap:

“Someone that I’ve never played with before but would love at Liverpool is Kevin De Bruyne. He’s unbelievable, and if he would’ve played at Liverpool, we would’ve gone even further than what we have done.

"He’s outstanding, good on the ball, he presses high, scores plenty of goals, and has every attribute of a modern-day midfielder and footballer in general.”

De Bruyne is widely regarded as one of the finest midfielders in world football and is a key cog in Pep Guardiola's system.

The Belgian international has scored three goals and provided 12 assists in 17 games across all competitions this season.