Kevin De Bruyne says Erling Haaland is the greatest in the box he has ever played with after star striker netted another hat-trick against West Ham

Kevin De Bruyne has had the pleasure of assisting many a top goalscorer in his time — Sergio Aguero, Fernando Torres and Romelu Lukaku to name a few.

But none boasts the strike rate of Erling Haaland, whose hat-trick against West Ham saw him reach 70 goals in 69 Premier League games.

So, is the Norwegian the greatest striker De Bruyne has played with?

‘It’s a hard question. In the box I’d say yes,’ De Bruyne said. ‘All around, maybe Kun (Sergio Aguero) but it depends on what you talk about. Erling is the most prolific striker I’ve played with.

‘I’ve played with really good strikers like Kun, Samuel Eto’o, Fernando Torres, there’s some good guys. ‘It’s hard to compare but the stats speak for themselves. He’s started the season on fire and let’s hope he maintains it.’

Haaland will no doubt have been relieved that talk of a summer move away for De Bruyne, who has 113 assists in the Premier League, did not come to anything. 

The midfielder had interest from Saudi Arabia but insisted he did not come close to leaving. ‘I haven’t spoken to anyone,’ he said. 

‘There has been a lot of noises and news. I said in the summer I expect a quiet summer and that’s what happened. I went on holiday for four weeks, came back and started training. That was it. Nothing to tell. I’ve not been entertained by anybody or spoken to anybody.’

De Bruyne, who has been with City since 2015, is in the last year of his contract but is in no hurry to make any decisions on his future. 

‘As the season goes on, I’m sure there will be conversations. I really don’t feel the rush for the moment. It’s very hard to talk hypothetically because obviously there are things you want as a family, as a person, as a project.’