'All-time great' - Jamie Carragher lauds Kevin De Bruyne amid Liverpool Premier League title admission

Jamie Carragher insists Kevin De Bruyne is an 'all-time' Premier League great and would have won titles for Liverpool, had he swapped the Etihad for Anfield.

De Bruyne has enjoyed an excellent return to fitness at Manchester City, following his four-month absence due to a hamstring injury picked up on the opening day of the season. The Belgian was on hand to set up Phil Foden's second goal in a 3-1 win at Brentford on Monday evening, his fourth assist in five games since coming back.

Those quick returns have extended De Bruyne's lead as Europe's creator-in-chief, registering 33 assists since August 2022 - eight more than anyone else in the continent's top five leagues despite that spell on the sidelines. And Carragher believes he is above some of the greatest players to ever graced the Premier League.

"He's been the best player in the Premier League for the last four, five years," Carragher told Sky Sports. "He's been the difference for Manchester City, when you think of how often they've pipped Liverpool in terms of league titles. If you put him in a Liverpool shirt then I think they would win the league, that's how dominant he is. 

“Kevin De Bruyne is going to go down as an all-time great in the Premier League. When you think of the greatest foreign players to ever play in the Premier League, we always use the same names: [Eric] Cantona, [Gianfranco] Zola, [Dennis] Bergkamp. Those three are absolutely legendary figures in the Premier League and at their clubs. He's better than all three of them.”

De Bruyne's minutes have been carefully managed since returning from that serious hamstring injury, but is wasting no time exerting his creative influence on the squad. It took just 22 minutes off the bench at Newcastle for the midfielder to score a sublime goal before setting Oscar Bobb up to turn 2-1 into 3-2.

All involved at the Etihad will hope to have the 32-year-old available for the remainder of the season, with the opportunity still there to claim a second consecutive treble and fourth straight Premier League title. Victory at Brentford saw City climb to within two points of league leaders Liverpool, who have played a game more.