Gary Neville: Kevin De Bruyne is a hybrid of Paul Scholes and David Beckham

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Kevin De Bruyne narrowly missed out on winning the PFA Player of the Year to Mohamed Salah, but he has received high praise from Gary Neville, who has likened the Belgian to David Beckham and Paul Scholes. 

De Bruyne has enjoyed a stellar campaign for Manchester City and was the favourite to claim the PFA Player of the Year prize during the earlier stages of the season, after producing a number of high calibre performances for his club.

The Belgium has contributed 15 league assists, while also scoring eight league goals.

However, Mohamed Salah won the individual prize after enjoying a brilliant season with Liverpool, which has seen him score 41 goals in all competitions with 31 of those coming in the Premier League.

Speaking on his Sky Sports podcast, former Manchester Utd right-back Gary Neville said of De Bruyne: “Jamie Redknapp compared him with Paul Scholes, but I actually think he is a hybrid between Scholes and David Beckham.

“He can cross and pass in a whipped way like Beckham, but he can also strike and drift passes like Scholes. He has that blend of both in terms of how he plays. He’s equally important to this team now as David Silva, and that’s saying something because Silva is a sensational player.”

Neville continued: “Jamie Redknapp said Xavi and Andres Iniesta were the best two he’d seen in those forward midfield positions, and you’d have to agree with that, they were the best I’d ever seen, the Barcelona team under Pep Guardiola.

“But Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva are comparable, and that’s saying something, because these are really top players. They don’t waste the ball, they have the intelligence, understanding, it’s really, really high level.”

Kevin De Bruyne: The perfect midfielder?

It is easy to see the comparisons between De Bruyne, Scholes and Beckham as the Belgium international consistently produces fantastic crosses for his teammates and is a clean striker of the ball.

He has created 104 chances and made an incredible 88 key passes in the Premier League this season.

Last Sunday’s goal against Swansea had all the hallmarks of a Paul Scholes strike during his heyday at Old Trafford.

De Bruyne picked up the ball from outside the area and unleashed a 65 mph strike into the top corner – leaving Swans’ ‘keeper Lukasz Fabianski no chance of saving the ball.

The midfielder has been deployed centrally this season along with David Silva, and they have helped City dominate the ball in the middle of the park.

This tactical move by Pep Guardiola is reminiscent of Andres Iniesta and Xavi dominating Barcelona’s midfield while Guardiola was at the helm.

In total, De Bruyne has produced 11 goals and 20 assists in all competitions this season, and has helped City win the Premier League and the Carabao Cup.

The Belgian will be hoping he can add to his impressive scoring and assists tally against West Ham next Sunday in the Premier League.