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Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has heaped praise on the outgoing Kevin De Bruyne as he approaches the end of his stay at the Etihad. The Belgian has enjoyed a memorable decade-long stint at the club.
Since arriving from VfL Wolfsburg in the summer of 2015, the 33-year-old De Bruyne made his name as one of the finest midfielders of his generation. In 417 games across competitions, he has contributed 107 goals and 177 assists.
That includes five goals and eight assists in 35 outings across competitions this season. However, with De Bruyne showing signs of decline due to a combination of injuries and loss of form, City didn't extend his current deal, which is expiring at the end of the season.
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Ahead of the FA Cup semi-final with Nottingham Forest on Saturday (April 26), Gundogan waxed lyrical about De Bruyne, telling ESPN (via GOAL):
"He's irreplaceable. We know that no one will just come and be a replacement for him. Of course, it will be covered somehow. The club always does that.
"What Kev has done for the club is unbelievable. For me personally, in the history of Man City, there is no better player than Kevin De Bruyne. It's been a pleasure for me to share a pitch with him for such a long time. I've had that connection with him off the pitch so it's been a privilege to get to know him and his family."
De Bruyne scored and assisted in the 3-1 FA Cup fifth round win over Plymouth Argyle, a feat he has accomplished three other times (all in the Premier League) this season.
How has Manchester City talisman Kevin De Bruyne fared in the FA Cup?
Kevin De Bruyne has a decent record in the FA Cup, all with Manchester City. In 30 games across 10 seasons (including the current one), the Belgium international has bagged 10 goals and 19 assists.
During the Cityzens' historic treble-winning 2022-23 campaign, De Bruyne scored once and assisted four times in four games, including a brace in the 2-1 final win over Manchester United.
A year later, he provided four assists in a 6-2 fifth-round win at Luton Town but didn't make a goal contribution as Pep Guardiola's side fell 2-1 to United in the title match.
De Bruyne's most prolific FA Cup campaign for Manchester City came in the 2018-19 season, bagging two goals and five assists in four games, including a goal and an assist in a 6-1 win over surprise finalists Watford.
