Sport

Joe Cole crowns Kevin De Bruyne ‘the greatest midfielder’ the Premier League has ever seen

Is he right?

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 8th April 2024

Former footballer Joe Cole has gone out on a limb to crown Kevin De Bruyne the greatest midfielder in the history of the Premier League.

Well, it’s not that much of a limb in truth, but they’re big words nonetheless.

The debate surrounding where Kevin De Bruyne ranks among the greatest midfielders the Premier League has ever seen – Scholes, Lampard, Gerrard, Viera and so on – is one that’s been circulating for many years now and it’s quite the honour to even be mentioned in the same breath as these players.

However, a bit of a legend in his own right when it comes to the English top flight, Cole has now claimed that not only does he “stand shoulder to shoulder” with any of these greats but that he’s started to cement his place above them as “the Godfather of attacking midfielders”.

Joe Cole dubs Kevin De Bruyne ‘the Godfather’ of attacking mids in the Prem.

The 42-year-old went on to say, “I think he sits above everyone, I really do, and I include Frank [Lampard] and [Paul] Scholes and Stevie [Steven Gerrard] and everyone in that”.

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“I think he’s moving up and they are great players of their time and it’s always difficult to compare eras because the game, the rules change; the pitch has changed, the ball has changed, the training methods – everything changes but he’s certainly the best of this era and he’s just outstanding.”

This comes after De Bruyne was once again instrumental in Manchester City‘s 4-2 win over Crystal Palace, grabbing a brace and assists for Erling Haaland’s 30th goal in all competitions this season against the home side on Saturday.

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He is by no means the only one to back this claim with Jürgen Klopp recently admitting that De Bruyne is just as good if not better than Gerrard, while the Liverpool and England legend himself went so far as to dub him “the best in the world”.

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Even with injury problems here and there, having spent most of this season on the sidelines, the 32-year-old continues to prove that class is permanent; if anything, you could argue he’s looking better than ever — and we don’t just mean the nice new trim.

Having made it 100 goals in blue, as well as 158 assists in just under a decade at the club, manager Pep Guardiola was full of praise for the Belgian, not only labelling both of his finishes “unbelievable” but applauding him on his unwavering quality since arriving at the Etihad.

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“Ten years in Man City, the numbers, the presence, the consistency has been amazing,” said Pep, adding: “[He’s one] one of the best players in all our history of Man City.”

You can watch the highlights from Man City’s crucial away win in the title race that looks like it’s going to run right down to the wire HERE and as for you trying to nail down the greatest midfielder this league has ever seen, you don’t need to convince us.

Kevin De Bruyne’s red-hot return from injury proves why he’s the best player in the Premier League

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Featured Images — TNT Sports/Man City (via Instagram)

Sport

Man United broadcaster FlexUTD responds after suffering ‘awful’ racist abuse on camera

Danny Jones Danny Jones FlexUTD responds after racist abuse by woman in post-match video Man United

Manchester United content creator, YouTuber and digital presenter, FlexUTD, has shared a disappointed but defiant response following a racist incident captured during a video after the game this weekend.

Flex – real name Flex Alexander – is a familiar face among Man United fans and a well-known personality across the online English football culture, having previously worked with another popular fan channel in The United Stand before founding his own brand, United View.

Whilst recording his regular post-match analysis outside Old Trafford after the 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday, the social media influencer was interrupted by a woman and fellow United supporter.

After seemingly giving someone a quick shout-out, she then proceeds to wander out of frame before appearing to utter a racial slur off-camera in the form of an offensive twist on the fan base’s famous anti-Glazer chant.

racist woman on man united fan cam
racist abuse united view
Credit: United View (via YouTube)

In the video shared to the official YouTube channel, he is visibly stunned by the racist outburst and members of the crew behind the camera can also be heard asking, “Did you just see what I think you said?”, adding “There’s always one or two.”

The identity of the female United fan is still unknown and although her face remains blurred for legal reasons, Flex himself did come out on social media to ask people to “find this woman” in order for the club to identify her and the authorities to punish her accordingly.

Still taken aback by the racial slur, Flex simply goes on to describe the off-hand abuse as “crazy” before insisting that the moment will be staying the full edit so as not to let the incident go unnoticed.

Ever since the video was released, other Reds, football fans and content creators alike have been sharing their support online.

One person wrote, “It’s 2024 and we’re still seeing people saying racist things and they think they can get away with it. Hope Flex gets justice for this.”, while another tagged the club and added: “Can’t be having these type of fans enter the stadium.”

Flex has since responded online in a separate video, thanking people for their heartfelt messages, but despite assuring that he has a “thick skin”, he quite rightly went on to add that people of colour shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of intolerable behaviour and he is simply “tired”.

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Retired striker and former United coach Benni McCarthy also reached out online to offer some kind words, writing: “Hi mate, hope you [are] ok. That was absolutely unnecessary and you shouldn’t have to deal with such behaviour. Stay strong bro and behind you all the way.”

The club themselves are yet to issue a statement regarding the incident but with both current players and former staff responding, it likely won’t be long before the individual is identified and issued with a ban. United had to deal with similar incidents regarding racism and homophobia last season.

It goes without saying that we condemn discrimination in all its forms; our thoughts go out to Flex and everyone else affected by the incident and hope the incident is dealt with swiftly. The beautiful game is for everyone and there’s no room for racism in any walk of life. #KickItOut.

You can watch Flex’s full video addressing the situation, in which he urged people to “stay strong, keep fighting” and “stick together”, down below:

FlexUTD’s full response following the appalling racist incident on 4/11/2024.

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Featured Images — United We Stand (via YouTube)/FlexUTD (via X)

Sport

Bruno Fernandes reveals he apologised to Erik ten Hag after Man United sacking

Danny Jones Danny Jones Bruno Fernandes apologised to Erik ten Hag after being sacked by Man United

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has revealed he personally apologised to Erik ten Hag after he was sacked by the club last week following a poor run of results.

The Man United midfielder was made club captain by ten Hag back in July 2023 and was one of the most trusted players throughout his two-and-a-half-year tenure at Old Trafford, barely missing a minute of football besides through a red card suspension.

Fernandes is also one of the most senior figures in the dressing room, not only down to his age but because he has now spent nearly half a decade at United, and so the ‘Portuguese Magnifico’ was seemingly one of the first to hold his hands up after the Dutchman was relieved of his duties.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday, in which club legend turned interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy took charge for his second game, Bruno also reflected on the season so far and how he “feels responsible” for how things ended with ten Hag.

The 30-year-old was the scorer of the Reds’ only goal on the night after Rasmus Højlund earned them a penalty and scored two in the cup tie against Leicester but was visibly disappointed with the level of performance following the result and after missing a crucial chance which could have won the game.

“Obviously, it’s a different week because Erik [ten Hag] is gone and it’s not good for anyone at the club when a manager goes because it means the positions and where the team is not the best; the results are not the best and manager is the one that pays”, said Fernandes.

“Whenever you see a manager go you have to take a little bit of the blame on yourself because you need to look at the mirror first […] everyone as an individual has to look at themselves first. […] I spoke to the manager and apologised […] I’m really disappointed that he is gone but what remains with me is to give everything and try to help in any way possible…”

“We are not scoring goals and I feel a lot of [responsibility] because I normally give a lot of goals and assists and it was not coming so I feel disappointed, but I always give 100% and he is aware of that.”

Regardless of his lengthy answer, whether or not Bruno said sorry to ten Hag is not enough for some, as the ever-harsh critic and former midfielder stalwart himself Roy Keane summed up his response by simply adding, “Too little, too late.”

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Whether or not Bruno having apologised to ten Hag is enough to keep other pundits, fans and the new manager on-side during a crucial few weeks where the club is set for another significant period of change, only time will tell.

With fellow compatriot Rúben Amorim – who led Bruno’s former club Sporting CP to their first league title in 19 years, not to mention a second championship last season and a first-place spot so far this campaign – now confirmed as the new head coach, the United number eight will be looking to recover the output fans have seen from him in previous years.

Set to start the job on Monday, 11 November, van Nistelrooy will remain as interim manager for the next two games: the Europa League match against PAOK and another home fixture against Leicester after having beaten them 5-2 in the EFL Cup during his first game in charge.

As for Amorim, he revealed that he wanted to see out the rest of 2024/25 with Sporting before taking the United job but that INEOS wanted him to start ASAP, describing the offer as a “now or never” opportunity. You can watch the highlights from the first Premier League match under Ruud down below:

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Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshots via YouTube)

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