Sky Sports Pundit's Comments On Kevin De Bruyne Joining Manchester City Have Aged So, So Badly

Phil Thompson and Paul Merson's opinions on Kevin De Bruyne moving to Manchester City for £54 million have re-emerged and they've aged horribly.

De Bruyne scored four on Wednesday night, which included a 24 minute hat-trick, as City ran out 5-1 winners over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It was perhaps his finest performance in a City shirt and there've been plenty to choose from since his arrival from Wolfsburg in 2015.

Two men who weren't too sure about the Belgium international's return to Premier League football were Thompson and Merson.

De Bruyne's first spell in England saw him underwhelm with Chelsea. That stigma was still there for the Sky Sports duo, who didn't understand why City smashed their transfer record to secure his signature.

"The world is going mad," Thompson said on an episode of Soccer Saturday. "The amount of money they're paying for this boy is just absolutely bonkers! He's a good player, but is he a great player?"

Jeff Stelling asked Merson if then Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was right to let 'KDB' leave for the Bundesliga a year prior, for a far lower sum of £18 million.

Merson replied: "I didn't think so. I don't think he done it at Chelsea.

"I don't think he got loads of chances, but he didn't look part of the Chelsea way at the time. I think it was right for him to go. If you're buying someone for eight million and selling him for a £10 million profit, it's a no-brainer for me.

"There's some players you look at and think 'yeah'... I just don't see this, I just don't see £50-odd million for this player. I really do not see it at all.

"And this was someone who was at the top club in England, Chelsea, playing there, and it didn't click.

"He's played here before, at a top team with top players. Honestly Jeff I thought it was lira, I did."

Well, all that ended up being wrong didn't it? De Bruyne is now one of the best midfielders in world football.

The 30-year-old opened the scoring at Molineux with a lovely first-time finish after latching on to a Bernardo Silva through ball.

Wolves hit back through Leander Dendoncker three minutes later before De Bruyne grabbed his second in the 16th minute.

He'd complete his hat-trick eight minutes later with an absolute rocket that left goalkeeper Jose Sa helpless.

Not done there, De Bruyne would score on the hour mark to make it eight goals in eight games.

Raheem Sterling wrapped up the scoring six minutes from time as City moved back to the top of the league, ahead of Liverpool with two games remaining.