Arsenal forward Eberechi Eze has named former Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne as the toughest opponent he has ever played against in the English Premier League, SportPremi reports.
Eze, 27, joined Arsenal in a £67.5 million move from Crystal Palace in the summer and has eased into life at the Gunners with a couple of inspiring displays.
The England forward has scored once and provided two assists in 10 league games for the North London side, who currently occupy the first position in the league.
He also grabbed his third goal of the UEFA World Cup qualifying campaign, scoring with an exquisite finish to give England a 2-0 win over Albania last Sunday.
Kevin De Bruyne, on the other hand, left Manchester City last summer to join Italian side Napoli after the expiration of his contract.
The Belgian playmaker is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in English Premier League history after a very successful time at the Cityzens.
The 33-year-old won 16 trophies during his 10-year stay in Manchester, including six league titles and a UEFA Champions League trophy.
‘King Kev’ also played a very inspiring role in City’s treble-winning campaign in 2023 and scored 106 times before his departure from the club.
What Eze said about De Bruyne
Eberechi Eze faced Kevin De Bruyne while he was at Crystal Palace and has identified the Belgian as the most difficult opponent he ever faced in the league.
When asked in an interview to name the toughest player he ever faced, the Arsenal man responded;
“I’m gonna say [Kevin] De Bruyne, [was the toughest opponent] you know.
To play the way he was playing, to do the things that he was doing for that amount of time, yeah, not easy. You can tell that he’s a high-level thinker,’ Eze added.
‘These are the type of players I’ve looked up to from young, so definitely a special player.’
‘Probably the player you’re coming up against and you’re like, ‘he’s got solutions to problems I hadn’t even given him yet’. He’s a special guy.’
What is at stake in the EPL this weekend?
The English Premier League returns for match-day 12 action after the international break with 10 blockbuster fixtures across different stadiums from Saturday to Monday night.
Chelsea hope to continue their rise up the standings with a win over newly-promoted Burnley at Turf Moor, while Liverpool welcome Nottingham Forest to Anfield.
Newcastle United and Manchester City also clash in a high-stakes encounter, with the match of the round holding on Sunday at the Emirates, with the first installment of the North London derby.
Action concludes on Monday when Manchester United look to continue their unbeaten run against Everton at the Old Trafford.
