Pep Guardiola believes Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala is the rightful heir to Kevin De Bruyne’s throne.
That’s according to German journalist Maximilian Koch, who claims the Spanish tactician is confident Musiala, 20, will become the sport’s best number 10 within the next couple of seasons.
The 20-year-old hasn’t enjoyed as much playing time this season as he would have hoped, especially considering how integral he was in Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga-winning campaign last time out.
The playmaker’s current contract is set to expire in less than three years’ time, and failure to negotiate an extension will see his long-term future cast into further doubt.
As for Manchester City’s emerging links to Bayern’s talented number 42, as unfortunate as it is to acknowledge the decline of one of the Premier League’s all-time greats, De Bruyne’s persistent problems with injuries cannot be ignored.
The Belgian picked up another hamstring injury at the start of the 2023-24 season and is not expected to feature again until at least the new year, and recent reports, including this one from Football Insider, have claimed Manchester City are undecided over whether or not to offer the 32-year-old midfielder a new contract beyond 2025 for this very reason.
During his eight years at the Etihad, De Bruyne, who has lifted 16 major trophies with the club, has directly contributed to 249 goals in 358 games in all competitions, so should Musiala end up replacing a player who is arguably the club’s greatest of all time, it goes without saying the German will have some big boots to fill.