De Bruyne back on form, says Belgium coach
BELGIUM coach Marc Wilmots believes Kevin de Bruyne suffered from joining Manchester City for such a huge fee but has seen signs of the player returning to his old self.
The 24-year-old moved from Wolfsburg for a reported £55 million last summer and, despite having an influential role in Manuel Pellegrini’s side, Wilmots witnessed a change in the midfielder.
However, he is happy to report signs of a return to normality.
“He is a human being, he has emotions. He was transferred for a lot of money and there are a lot of things going on in his life,” Wilmots told a press conference ahead of Belgium’s last-16 encounter against Hungary.
“Now I have a smiling guy again. We have to have this kind of guy, one who plays with a smile on his face.”
The Red Devils were one of the pre-tournament favourites but have not played like it. De Bruyne’s performances in France have been similar to that of his nation, both failing to truly live up to their reputations.
However, that could be about to change entering the knockout stage.
“We have talked together and I am waiting for better performances individually from my players,” added Wilmots.
“We have shown an improvement to some extent but we can play better link-up football.
“Now we have to be more efficient because we are in the knockout phase.
“Kevin has been good in the last 20-25 metres but he can still improve. I know he can play better.
“Kevin could be a key player against Hungary. He was not very good against Italy. He was so-so but he’s tried to get better.”
Belgium will be expected to sweep aside Hungary but their performances in the group, topping Group F which included Portugal, have given Wilmots food for thought.
“We’re considered to be one of the five big teams so it’s normal that the pressure is there,” he said.
“I would rather play against England and Spain than Hungary.
“We would have nothing to lose against those teams. The press acts like the game against Hungary will be a walkover. Did people not see them play against Portugal? There are no more small teams in international football.
“We will play Hungary with the same focus as we would play any so-called big nation.”
Despite topping their group, Hungary are still very much outsiders heading into the last 16.
But captain Balazs Dzsudzsak is more than happy with how the tournament has gone judging by the reaction back home. “Ten million people went out of their minds,” he said.