By KBC Associate 
Kevin De Bruyne is “irreplaceable” at Manchester City, according to his midfield partner Ilkay Gündogan.
The Belgium international announced he will leave City at the end of the season and admitted his surprise that he wasn’t offered a new deal at the Etihad.
De Bruyne has not made any decision on his next move but, wherever he goes, his departure will leave a huge hole both on the pitch and in the dressing room.
“He’s irreplaceable,” Gündogan told ESPN. “We know that no one will just come and be a replacement for him. Of course it will be covered somehow. The club always does that.
“What Kev has done for the club is unbelievable. For me personally, in the history of Man City, there is no better player than Kevin De Bruyne. It’s been a pleasure for me to share a pitch with him for such a long time.
“I’ve had that connection with him off the pitch so it’s been a privilege to get to know him and his family.”
Semis! 💪🏼💙 pic.twitter.com/TdRBQS6WiQ
— Kevin De Bruyne (@KevinDeBruyne) March 30, 2025
De Bruyne and City target FA Cup success
De Bruyne will hope to edge closer to a 15th major trophy with City by helping them overcome Nottingham Forest in the second FA Cup semi-final on Sunday.
Winning the FA Cup would be a nice way for a miserable domestic and continental season to conclude, before City head to the United States for the FIFA Club World Cup.
Pep Guardiola’s men have failed in their attempts to land a fifth successive Premier League crown – they are third with four games to go – while their run in the Champions League ended at the hands of Real Madrid in the round of 16.
The season as a whole has fallen below expectations and Gundogan admits it is nigh-on unsalvageable.
“The past has shown that it’s not the standard we set for ourselves,” he added. “We know things were not good enough from our side throughout the season. We can’t change that, we can only take it and be honest with ourselves. It’s important to admit to yourself.
“There are two targets left for us. One is obviously to qualify for the Champions League next year, which is vital for the club and also for us players as well.
“The other one is to try to get to the FA Cup final. We’re going back to Wembley for the semi-final and it’s always special.
“It’s going to be tough but it’s going to be the only chance, with the Club World Cup, for silverware this season. We’ll try to go for it.”
Up next: A trip to Wembley 💪🩵
🤝 #AsahiSuperDry pic.twitter.com/RR39fJVAuA
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 24, 2025
Improvement needed after last Forest encounter
City lost at Forest last month and Gundogan believes the rise of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side reflects the difficulty of the Premier League.
He said: “When we lost at their place we were not up to our game and that’s what I mean. It gets punished in the Premier League. Maybe in the past we could have been at 70, 80 or 90% and still win games but now it’s so demanding. What they do, they do really well.
“They could be in the Champions League next season and they have a lot of quality. We know when we lost against them that it was just not good enough from our side. We have to do it better if we want to get into the final.”
Gundogan started the midweek win over Aston Villa that boosted City’s hopes of a top-five finish with Matheus Nunes grabbing a dramatic 94th-minute winner.