Conte praises former Chelsea man De Bruyne

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has praised Manchester City winger Kevin De Bruyne and admitted it was “a pity” he left Stamford Bridge.

De Bruyne, 25, was signed by the Blues in 2012 from Belgian club Genk but played only nine games for the club, all of his appearances coming in the first half of the 2013-14 season.

He was sold to Wolfsburg during that campaign and his outstanding form in the Bundesliga led to a club-record £55m move to City in August 2015.

De Bruyne has scored 19 goals and made 24 assists in 59 games for City and will line-up against the Blues, rather than for them, on Saturday

Conte said: “De Bruyne played with Chelsea and I think he’s a really great player.

“It’s a pity that now he’s playing for another team, for sure, because he’s a fantastic player.

“But now he plays with Manchester City and I wish for him the best after our game.”