Jack Grealish has lauded praise over Kevin de Bruyne for his performance against Borussia Dortmund.
The Aston Villa captain was left in awe by the Belgian's performance, as he netted the opener and played a huge role in Phil Foden's winner to hand Manchester City a 2-1 first-leg victory.
De Bruyne celebrated that victory by penning a new contract at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, with the mercurial midfielder tied down until 2025.
MEN Sport understands that Grealish is not currently a target for Manchester City this summer, with their priority signing Erling Haaland as a replacement for the outgoing Sergio Aguero, although Pep Guardiola is thought to be a fan.
Grealish has previously spoken of his admiration for De Bruyne and took to social media to relay that message after the City maestro's vintage performance.
The England international took to Twitter to post: "De Bruyne final ball every single time is unbelievable," followed by a clapping hands emoji.
Grealish said last month that De Bruyne remains his favourite Premier League player and someone he tries to emulate his game on.
He told YouTube channel UMM : “De Bruyne is my favourite player.
“I think he is probably the most perfect footballer in the Prem. I try and take little bits really out of his game.
"Although I had a good season last year, if you actually looked at it my big chances created weren't as high as other people in my position.
“This year my expected assists I think is the highest, and my big chances created is up there as well, so that's what I wanted to improve on, and that was obviously really looking at De Bruyne and his game and what he does.”
