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Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne recently shared his pick for the best Premier League midfielder and also revealed his top three.
De Bruyne, widely regarded as one of the greatest Premier League midfielders ever, picked his top three midfielders currently in action. In an interview with Sky Sports, the Belgian picked Bruno Fernandes, Martin Odegaard and James Maddison in that order.
He said (via Mirror):
"I think he's (Bruno Fernandes) a creative machine. Just, in general, I think Odegaard is very creative.
"He's a little more controlled, and then Maddison is also really creative, but I need to see more of him in a big team. So that can change, but that's why I put him number three."
De Bruyne also explained his idea of creativity and how Fernandes' risk-taking made him choose the Portuguese midfielder at the top:
"Being creative has a lot of different things around it. Creating chances, but also sometimes you can give somebody the ball, and he shoots from 30 metres."
He added:
"It's always different, but I think he's (Fernandes) always there. He takes a lot of risks, also, and I like it.
"And obviously he's been doing really well, and he's been doing it for a long time. Odegaard was amazing last year, but, obviously, he's younger, and there's a difference in that."
Since the start of last season, Fernandes has created the most big chances (34) and xA (18) in the Premier League. Overall, since joining Manchester United from Sporting CP in January 2020, he has registered 64 goals and 54 assists in 187 games across competitions.
Comparing Bruno Fernandes' Premier League numbers to Martin Odegaard and James Maddison's
Kevin De Bruyne has picked Bruno Fernandes, Martin Odegaard and James Maddison as the three most creative midfielders in the Premier League. Let's take a look at their stats in the English top flight.
Fernandes has scored 44 goals and provided 32 assists in 126 league games for Manchester United. He has operated in many positions, including a central midfielder, attacking midfielder and even on the wings.
Odegaard, meanwhile, has 24 goals and 14 assists in 89 Premier League games for Arsenal, having arrived from Real Madrid in January 2021.
Maddison has been in the English top flight for the longest while, among the three players. He has scored 43 goals and provided 36 assists in 165 games for Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
