Former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp has compared Arsenal's Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos to Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne.
The Spaniard arrived from the Santiago Bernabeu last summer on a season-long loan deal but initially struggled to make an impact under Unai Emery.
Since Mikel Arteta came in though, and particularly since the resumption of the season, Ceballos has grown into an integral member of the Gunners side in his midfield partnership with Granit Xhaka.
He caught the eye with his first-half performance against Leicester City, which included a perfectly weighted through-ball to unleash Bukayo Saka in the build-up to the opening goal.
That led to an abundance of praise from Redknapp, who was on punditry duty for the match, and he made a bold comparison.
“It’s a lovely bit of play from Ceballos. It’s been a masterclass from him in the first half. He always looks to play that pass, dissects the defence," he told Sky Sports at half-time.
"I feel for him (Jonny Evans), he wants to show him back on his left side, he’s trying to read it, and falls over. He looks around for a divet that’s not there.
"Sometimes you have to put your hands up to a great bit of skill. Ceballos has been instrumental in everything they’ve done. We saw glimpses when he first came to Arsenal.
"I thought he was gonna be the real deal, but then he struggled under Emery and got left out of the team. But right now, he’s making them tick in that midfield area. That was a De Bruyne-esque pass - it really was quality.”
