Gabby Agbonlahor has made a bold claim about one of Manchester City's best players.

Over time, even some of City's biggest legends started to experience a decline in their performances.

For instance, in David Silva's final season at the Etihad Stadium, his form dipped and while he suffered a minor injury, it was telling that he started in only 22 Premier League games.

Sergio Aguero simply could not be match-fit by the time he entered the 2020/2021 season, starting a mere 12 league games for Manchester City.

Yaya Toure's incredible athleticism also suffered a huge dip in the 2014/2015 campaign, which meant that both offensively and defensively, he became a shell of himself.

Time catches up with even the greats and that is the name of the game across all sports.

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One of the most prolific goalscorers in the history of the game failed to score a single goal while notably missing a penalty in his nation's Round of 16 win against Slovenia.

Now, Gabby Agbonlahor feels that another legend of the game, Kevin De Bruyne is also on the decline.

The pundit said on talkSPORT (22/07/2024, 4:06 pm): "You look at last season, he played 18 league games. I watched Kevin De Bruyne last season and especially in the Euros. I watched him in the France-Belgium game."

"Yes, he still got the pass, he still got the technique, find a cross, but he doesn't really see him making a driving run past people any more. He has played 549 career games, including over 100 for Belgium."

Kevin De Bruyne is still an elite player De Bruyne, described as "ridiculous" by Paul Dickov registered four goals and 10 assists in 15 Premier League starts last season - despite playing no pre-season and coming off perhaps the toughest injury of his career - indicating how brilliant he still is.

At Euro 2024, Belgium's struggles should not be conflated with the PS54.5 million man's showings - as he created plenty of chances, drove excellently with the ball, looked comfortable in a newfound role in deeper areas at times and largely, led from the front.

Athletically, the 33-year-old might not be the same machine he was once - especially as his burst of pace has perhaps decreased.

But De Bruyne's quality remains unquestionable and next season, he will be determined to play a full season of football and shine in a Manchester City shirt.