Former Premier League star says Man City hero Kevin De Bruyne ‘would struggle in an average team’

A heated debate raged on Talksport on Wednesday evening - who is the best midfielder in the rich history of the Premier League? While many Manchester City supporters would likely say Kevin De Bruyne, Jermaine Pennant offered an alternative point of view.

Instead, the former Liverpool winger picked Steven Gerrard. Pennant played alongside Gerrard for three years during his time at Anfield - he joined Liverpool in the summer of 2006 and left in 2009.

To justify his claim, Pennant cited Gerrard’s extensive abilities as a midfielder, saying “Gerrard was the complete midfielder. He could defend like a centre-back, he could score goals and finish like a striker, he could ping like Scholes. He had everything to his game.”

Additionally, he praised Gerrard’s record of performing well in an “average” Liverpool team (which, as mentioned, Pennant himself was a part of). This was something he criticised De Bruyne for, stating that he “disappears” in less-than-stellar teams.

He used De Bruyne’s performances in the World Cup as an example. De Bruyne and Belgium both had a rotten tournament, crashing out in the group stage with just four points, with the City star failing to notch up a goal or an assist.

Pennant was asked to name his top four Premier League midfielders in history as part of the interview. He answered with “I’d picked Gerrard, Scholes, KDB and then I might stick in Frank [Lampard] at fourth.”

Despite Pennant’s inclusion of Lampard in the top four, he went on to say he “never rated Lamps”. He added: “He’s a good player, don’t get me wrong, but he just scored goals.”