Pep Guardiola hails Kevin De Bruyne as the world's best midfielder

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has labelled Kevin De Bruyne as the best midfielder in the world, after another standout performance against Liverpool on Thursday evening.

De Bruyne, who scored from the penalty spot and set up teammate Phil Foden, played a big role in City's 4-0 thrashing of Premier League champions Liverpool.

The 29-year-old, who has notched up 17 Premier League assists, just three behind the current record of 20 set by Thierry Henry, has impressed Guardiola with his all-round game in City's midfield.

"He's a really good player. He has something unique," Guardiola told the Manchester Evening News. "He can run, the vision that he has, the personality right now - being a penalty taker he has scored four in a row when we struggled a lot with penalties.

"So right now he is the best, yeah, in the midfield positions."

De Bruyne has also scored 11 Premier League goals this campaign, which is a personal best for the Belgian, who is considered as one of the front-runners to be named as the Premier League's Player of the Season.