Kevin De Bruyne punishes hesitant Dream Team bosses to finish as Gameweek 23’s top performer

WAS there any doubt Kevin De Bruyne (£5.9m) would put on an exhibition in Gameweek 23?

Manchester City’s playmaker-in-chief has hardly missed a beat since returning from a lengthy injury lay-off, as Everton and FC Copenhagen discovered to their detriment.

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Initially, it seemed as if the Dream Team managers who resisted the urge to transfer the brilliant Belgian into their XI were justified as he was named on the bench against the Toffees for Saturday’s early kick-off.

However, De Bruyne was introduced just before the hour-mark with the score at 0-0 and helped the defending champions register their tenth straight win in all competitions.

The 32-year-old provided the assist for Erling Haaland’s (£7.3m) second goal to register four points from just over half an hour’s work.

A short weekend shift all but guaranteed De Bruyne’s place in the starting line-up in the Danish capital on Tuesday night and that’s where he really cashed in.

Those hesitant gaffers could only watch on and grimace as he scored City’s opening goal before assisting their second and third.

When all was said and done, De Bruyne claimed 16 points from the Champions League round of 16 first leg to make it 20 for the Gameweek.

This combined haul means he finishes as the top performer in Gameweek 23, edging out team-mates Haaland and Phil Foden (£5.3m).

De Bruyne has been among the top five most transferred-in players for the last four Gameweeks in succession but a significant portion of gaffers have been resistant, perhaps because his playing time remains somewhat uncertain.

His sizeable ownership of 26.7% is enough to make him the eighth most-popular player in the game but, such is the star midfielder’s pedigree, he’s historically been owned by approximately half of gaffers when fully fit.

In fairness, De Bruyne has only completed 90 minutes twice in seven outings since his return but the overriding point is that he doesn’t need much time on the pitch to change the course of a game.

He’s plundered 50 points across the last five Gameweeks via two goals and eight assists.

The Belgium international is known for his unmatched playmaking ability but even so his tally of eight assists is remarkable given he’s played just eight games in 2023/24.

For comparison, Bruno Fernandes (£4.9m) has registered seven assists and he’s played 32 games this season.

Pep Guardiola’s side have six fixtures between Gameweeks 24 and 26, the most of any Premier League team, so De Bruyne’s backers should expect plenty more returns in the coming weeks.

And to those still reluctant to transfer him in – what are you waiting for?

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk