‘I’m happy for him’- Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne breaks silence on Mikel Arteta touchline clash

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne says he knew from on-set Mikel Arteta was going to be a successful manager from their time working together.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spent three and half years in Manchester as the assistant to Pep Guardiola and together they won a couple of league, FA Cup titles and league Cups.

The Spain International then went on to Arsenal and after a difficult start has turned them into a real title contender which the Belgian midfielder says doesn’t surprise him at all.

The 31-year-old told Sky Sports: “I see a lot of similarities with the way that we play, but that has always been his style, so I think when he stopped playing and came here, it was a good learning school.”

“I saw an evolution from the beginning of Mikel to after the three years when he left. At the beginning, he was adapting, but then he was getting more and more into his role.

‘”We also saw he had a lot of ambition, and when an opportunity came, he took that. It’s nice to see that he got the time from Arsenal. I’m happy for him that it’s going well.”

Kevin De Bruyne and Arteta clashed during the game between Arsenal and City in the Premier League on Wednesday night but they were seen hugging and smiling after the game.

De Bruyne’s comments also show that he hold his former manager in high esteem.