Antonio Conte has bemoaned Chelsea's loss of Kevin De Bruyne, describing the Manchester City midfielder as "the complete player".
The Belgian joined the Blues from Genk in January 2012 but only made nine appearances for the Premier League side before being sold to Wolfsburg two years later.
De Bruyne, who was also shipped out on loan to Werder Bremen in the 2012-13 season, impressed in the Bundesliga and was duly brought back to England by Man City for around £66m in 2015.
Chelsea's loss was Man City's gain as the 26-year-old continues to win rave reviews thanks to his performances for both club and country.
"I don't know, honestly, what happened in the past," the Italian manager told The Guardian when asked about Chelsea sanctioning the sale of De Bruyne in 2014.
"But for sure we are talking about a top player, the complete player. He's good – technical, fast, and he works hard for his team. He is the complete player."
De Bruyne has scored 25 goals and registered 41 assists in just 99 appearances for Man City.
Giuseppe Labellarte
