De Bruyne says he only spoke to Mourinho twice at Chelsea

Kevin De Bruyne has said his relationship with Jose Mourinho was so “distant” at Chelsea the pair only spoke twice.

De Bruyne has been outstanding for Manchester City but was given limited opportunities to prove himself during two years as a Chelsea player and was sold to Wolfsburg after just three appearances under Mourinho in the 2013/14 season.

De Bruyne has gone on to become one of the Premier League’s most celebrated players with City, who can win the title against Mourinho’s Manchester United side on Saturday.

Speaking to BBC Two’s Premier League Show, De Bruyne said of his relationship with Mourinho: “I would say distant. I’m not really somebody who speaks a lot with coaches. I think if the coach wants to speak with you then you just do it.

“He’s the boss. You can be good with each other but still there’s a distance between a coach and a player.

“I only spoke with him twice. That was when I wanted to leave for Dortmund at the beginning of the summer.

“And then at the second meeting I just said: ‘For me it’s better to go. I want to play football’.”