Kevin De Bruyne’s comeback from injury and subsequent red-hot return to form has proved yet again why he is the best player in the Premier League.
Even in the relatively short space of time that he’s been back out on the pitch and with Phil Foden having seriously stepped up in his absence, it didn’t take long for De Bruyne to remind the Manchester City faithful what they’ve been missing in his four-month period on the sidelines.
Appearing for just the first time in Europe this season as City took home a two-goal advantage from their away leg against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League round of 16, KDB didn’t only open the scoring but also managed to register a pair of assists, getting involved with every goal on the night.
Here’s how he got them off the mark:
Kevin De Bruyne fires Man City ahead in Copenhagen 🎯
Perhaps most importantly, however, it looked like the Blues might be off to a flyer following this early opener and overall dominance but the home side did end up getting into the game and equalising in the 34th minute, suddenly giving the visitors more of a task. Good job they have De Bruyne.
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The Belgian baller is more than a welcome addition back in the squad for the resumption of their UCL and treble defence; he already looks to have helped revitalise the side after small hints of ‘complacency’ or taking their foot off the gas a little, with Kev looking back to his best, if not maybe even beyond that.
The 32-year-old has already hinted that he might be playing or at least feeling ‘better than ever’ since coming back from his hamstring injury and besides a new trim, he also looks to have seemingly gained an extra yard of pace from somewhere and his on-pitch intelligence remains virtually unparalleled.
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It is this lightning-quick return to match fitness and vintage Man City form that helped him claim two more assists for his tally and get back to business as usual — almost as if he never went anywhere.
No player has been involved in more so far this year. He’s also scored 10 and assisted nine in his last 22 UCL knockout matches. Levels.
It’s that restored sharpness that helped him get to the ball that made the second goal, albeit it was one of his more fortunate assists and returning the favour to Foden for his earlier set-up to close the game out also demonstrated that he’s slotted straight back in without any of those relationships dwindling.
But make no mistake, it wasn’t just last night that the midfield maestro shone as one of if not the best on the pitch since getting his boots back on. He’s now on 10 goal contributions in nine matches across all competitions this season, even despite having missed the majority of it and coming off the bench/not completing the full 90 in most.
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In fact, it took him no time at all to get back on the scoresheet and assisting his teammates, grabbing one of each within just 20 minutes of being subbed on for his first game back in the Prem in City’s 3-2 comeback against Newcastle. He’s also grabbed an assist in every league fixture since.
Two words: impact and levels.
KDB IS BACK! 👑
Kevin De Bruyne comes on and produces a wonderful finish in his Premier League comeback game 👏
Pep Guardiola, Nathan Ake and Foden were all full of praise for the red-haired wizard on Tuesday night, with the defender waxing lyrical about his “top” form and simply hoping it can continue without interruption in his post-match interview.
As for us, when Erling Haaland is misfiring, luck isn’t going their way, and Pep’s players aren’t quite clicking like we know they can — only in contrast to the ridiculously high standards they’ve set for themselves — we’d still bank on even a couple moments of magic from this man turning the tide most days.
Yes, not exactly a groundbreaking revelation here, but Kevin De Bruyne has once again given us a reminder that he is the best player in the Premier League and one of if not the best it’s ever seen.
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You can watch the highlights from City’s 1-3 victory against FC Copenhagen and KDB’s trio of goal contributions down below:
Wigan unites in paying tribute to ‘much-loved’ local sports fan, Darren Orme, after body is found
Danny Jones
Wigan teams and the rest of the community have been paying tribute to local fan Darren Orme, whose body was sadly found earlier this week.
The passionate Wigan Athletic and Warriors supporter was a regular at both The Brick Community Stadium and the Latics’ former home, Spingfield Park. He was tragically found dead on Monday, 24 March, after being declared missing nearly three weeks ago.
As a “much-loved” personality among the regular footy and rugby crowds, his loss has hit both fan bases and the town as a whole hard, with countless locals sharing their condolences over the past few days.
Paying their respects to “a popular supporter” known to “thousands” for his “tireless efforts following the Latics“, the club shared a lengthy tribute to Orme on Tuesday.
The 54-year-old was last seen around 9pm on 5 March around the junction between Woodhouse Lane, Scot Lane and Beech Hill. Large-scale searches had been carried out by the local authorities and groups of volunteers following his disappearance.
His body was eventually located the body along a stretch of the River Douglas near Stadium Way just down from The Brick and Robin Park Arena.
Greater Manchester Police have since said they believe there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.
The Official Wigan Athletic Supporters Group – which Orme was a member of for the best part of four decades – said they have been left “devastated” by his passing, adding: “Darren was Wigan Athletic through and through, and he lived and breathed blue and white.
“We know that Darren will always be cheering Latics on in spirit.”
As for Wigan Warriors, who recognised him as an equally beloved character up in the stands, the team joined their footballing counterparts in paying a heartfelt tribute, with hundreds of fans laying flowers and wreaths outside the ground.
🌹 This morning, Wigan Warriors players and staff laid a wreath outside The Brick Community Stadium in memory of Darren Orme.
Writing as part of a joint statement on the club website, the rugby league side said: “We join in sending our sincerest condolences to Darren’s friends and family, and we ask supporters to respect their privacy during this extremely difficult time.
“As a Football Club, Wigan Athletic will pay tribute to Darren with a minute’s applause at the home fixture against Barnsley on Saturday, 29 March (3pm kick-off) whilst a minute’s applause will be held at Wigan Warriors’ game against Salford on Sunday.
“We would like to thank the Wigan community, including supporters of both Clubs, for coming together over the last few weeks in search of Darren. We encourage supporters to pay their respects and share their memories of Darren.
“Flowers, shirts, and scarfs can be laid at The Brick Community Stadium alongside Dave Whelan’s statue, while a Book of Condolences will be located in the Stadium Reception for fans to sign.”
Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, his fellow supporters and all those whose lives Darren Orme touched – rest in peace.
Featured Image — Greater Manchester Police/Wigan Warriors
Sport
Two Greater Manchester-based Paralympians pick up MBEs following Paris 2024 heroics
Danny Jones
A pair of Paralympians born just down the road and honed two discipline-leading national performance centres here in Manchester have officially been awarded MBEs.
The Northerners doing the country proud – sounds about right.
First off, if the name Poppy Maskill doesn’t ring a bell, the promising Paralympic was Team GB’s best-performing para-athlete at Paris 2024 this past summer, contributing a total of five medals towards the nation’s joint-third-highest tally.
After her heroics at the Games, the teenager who turns 20 this weekend (Saturday, 29 March) was the recipient of an early and very prestigious birthday present, becoming one of the youngest individuals to be made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in history.
She was named on the New Year’s Honours list back in December but finally collected her latest medal in person this week following a ceremony at Windsor Castle, being honoured by King Charles III personally.
Hailing from Middlewich just less than an hour away from our city centre, Maskill might be a Cheshire girl by birth, but this young sporting gem is being polished right here at the state-of-the-art Manchester Aquatics Centre (MAC).
The youngster became the first Paralympian to pick up gold back in August after not only winning the 100m butterfly but smashing the world record in the process, too.
Competing in the S14 class – a category for athletes with intellectual impairments – she finished the heat with in just 1:03, surpassing the previous best by more than half a minute. But her impressive performance didn’t stop there.
MAC regular Maskill went on to win two more golds in the S14 100m backstroke and 4 x100m S14 freestyle relay, as well as a pair of silver medals in the 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley S14. Just incredible.
Poppy Maskill wasn’t the only Greater Manchester-based para-athlete who was recognised this month, though, as Stockport‘s very own two-time Paralympic champion Sophie Unwin was also presented with the accolade for her services to sport.
Named a member of the Order along with her co-pilot Jenny Holl, Unwin’s Paris 2024 medal haul included a double of golds in the women’s B 3000m individual pursuit and the road race tandem B, not to mention a silver in the road time trial and a bronze in the 1000m time trial at Paris 2024.
Following in the footsteps of fellow MBE and Stopfordian cycling legend, Dame Sarah Storey, who won her 19th gold medal to become Britain’s greatest Paralympian of all time – having made the most of MAC and the National Cycling Centre over in East Manchester during her career – the borough did us proud.
30-year-old Unwin has kicked on just as strong in the new year as well, notching a narrow victory to set an unofficial (unfortunately) world record of 4:36.737 in the women’s tandem at the 2025 Lloyds National Track Championships here in Manchester.
Danny Jones -
14th February 2024 
