'He uses his brain more than his legs' - Leeds United's Mateusz Klich talks up Manchester City star

The Whites host Manchester City in Premier League action this weekend.
Leeds United playmaker Mateusz Klich celebrates. (Getty)Leeds United playmaker Mateusz Klich celebrates. (Getty)
Leeds United playmaker Mateusz Klich celebrates. (Getty)

Mateusz Klich will come up against a player who kept him out of the 2014/15 Wolfsburg midfield, when Leeds United host Manchester City tonight, writes Graham Smyth.

His path crossed with City superstar Kevin De Bruyne in June 2014 when Klich returned for a second spell at Wolfsburg, who had exercised their right to buy him back from PEC Zwolle.

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By the time he returned to the Volkswagen Arena after a season and a half in Holland, Wolfsburg had spent around £18 million on De Bruyne, a player a little over a year his junior who was about to embark on a remarkable campaign.

While Klich had to be content with reserve football, De Bruyne enjoyed a breakout season and registered a Bundesliga record 21 assists, along with 10 league goals. In all competitions, he scored 16 and made 28 others, in 51 appearances.

Wolfsburg sold Klich to 1. FC Kaiserslautern midway through 2014/15 and he eventually made his way to England, via another stint in Holland.

“I really like him as a player,” said Klich ahead of Leeds’ clash with the title contenders.

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“I have known him for a long time because I trained with him at Wolfsburg and I could see he was going to be a top-class player.”

Both men have hit the ground running in the Premier League this season. Klich has two goals and an assist from his first three top-flight English games and De Bruyne has one of each from two league outings.

They are both vital to their team’s style of play, bearing huge responsibility in their respective midfield roles and Klich is happy to admit the City man is operating at an elite level.

“He’s one of the best midfielders in the world right now,” he said. “He can score goals, he works hard, he runs a lot and gets assists.”

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But his direct involvement in goals and his kilometres covered is not what Klich admires most.

The player Marcelo Bielsa says runs furthest and sprints the most for Leeds is a big fan of De Bruyne’s ability to think his way around a pitch.

“The thing I like about his game is that he uses his brain even more than his legs,” he said. “He sees everything. He can pick a pass and shoot. I rate him very highly.”

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