'I Decided to Go': Man City Star Kevin De Bruyne Reveals the Reason He Left Chelsea Back in 2014
Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne has revealed the real reason why he left Chelsea back in January 2014, having grown disillusioned with life under Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking in City's new documentary 'All or Nothing' (via the Daily Mail), the Belgian, who arrived at Chelsea as a 20-year-old from Genk in a £7m deal, cited the Portuguese boss as one of the main issues during his time in London.
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After only showing flashes of his brilliance during a two year spell in which he struggled for game time, De Bruyne left for Wolfsburg in 2014 where he fulfilled his star potential with the Bundesliga side.
The Belgian international said: "I was only 20 years old when I decided to sign for Chelsea, and I got my chances in the first few games and I thought, okay, things are going well, I play okay, we won the games.
"But then one day it stopped. Knowing me, I had not a lot of patience at the time, I decided to go in January."
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The current Manchester United boss publicly criticised the Belgian midfielder's commitment levels during their time together at Chelsea, having dropped him from the matchday squad entirely for a Champions League qualifier against Steaua Bucuresti.
Mourinho said at the time: "I try to be honest with Kevin.
"He's not selected because I didn't like the match he played against Swindon and I didn't like the way he was training."
In stark comparison, De Bruyne's current boss Pep Guardiola has lavished the midfielder with praise, saying: "Kevin is a top player, shy - he doesn't talk too much - but the pitch is completely different.
"He is a competitor, physically so strong. He can do everything - he doesn't feel the pressure.
"Now he is one of our captains and he deserves it because he takes a lot of responsibility on the pitch."
The 27-year-old, so influential in the Citizens' success last season, will now miss a significant period of their title defence after damaging knee ligaments in training. The Belgian is expected to miss up to three months.
